Yemen prisoner exchange a sign of hope for war-torn country

ADEN -- The implementation of the prisoner exchange deal between the Yemeni government and the Iran-backed Houthis is a positive step that will pave the way for the release of additional prisoners, officials and experts in Yemen said.

After more than nine years of war, it offers a glimmer of hope for the establishment of peace in the war-torn country.

On March 11, the two sides agreed on a deal to exchange 887 prisoners.

The Houthis will release 181 prisoners they had been holding, among them 15 Saudis and three Sudanese nationals, while the government will release 706.

The two sides had previously agreed to release 2,223 "named prisoners" during consultations held under the auspices of the United Nations (UN) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

"The prisoner exchange will be implemented through six airports over three consecutive days, starting April 11, under the auspices of the UN and the ICRC," said Deputy Minister of Legal Affairs and Human Rights Nabil Abdul Hafeez.

On the first day, top military officials held by the Houthis since the start of the war will be flown to Aden International Airport from Sanaa, he told Al-Mashareq.

Among them will be former Minister of Defence Maj. Gen. Mahmoud al-Subaihi, and Maj. Gen. Nasser Mansour Hadi, the brother of the former president.

In return, a number of Houthi militia elements will be flown from Aden to Sanaa.

On the second day, April 12, 19 soldiers from the Arab coalition will be flown from Sanaa airport to a Saudi airport, while Houthi personnel are simultaneously flown from Khamis Mushayt in Saudi Arabia to Sanaa.

On that day, the son and brother of Brig. Gen. Tareq Saleh, a member of the Presidential Command Council, also will be flown from Sanaa to Mokha airport on the Red Sea coast, Abdul Hafeez said.

In return, a number of Houthi elements will be flown from Mokha to Sanaa.

On the final day of the exchange, the four journalists who had been sentenced to death, the sons of former vice president Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar and a number of army prisoners will be flown from Sanaa to Tadween airport in Marib province.

In return, Houthi militia elements will be flown from Tadween airport to Sanaa airport.

Abdul Hafeez expressed hope that the prisoner exchange marks "the start of the pacification process and continuation of the negotiations, slated for May".

On March 29, the ICRC conducted a test flight to the Tadween military airport to test its readiness for the completion of the prisoner swap.

The agreement is the second of its kind involving prisoners and abductees in Yemen, as the UN and ICRC had sponsored an exchange deal in 2020 that involved more than 1,000 prisoners from both sides.

Optimism for a breakthrough

"We are optimistic about the prisoner exchange," National Commission to Investigate Alleged Violations to Human Rights in Yemen spokeswoman Ishraq al-Maqtari told Al-Mashareq.

It appears to be a prelude to further prisoner exchanges, she said, "as well as the continuation of the declaration of truce and peace negotiations".

Yemen Human Rights and Freedoms Network director Mohammed al-Omda said the prisoner deal is "the beginning of a breakthrough toward a comprehensive solution to stop the war, which is what we want".

The agreement "brought joy to the Yemeni people because thousands of families who have been deprived of their sons for years will get them back", he said.

Meanwhile, lawyer and human rights defender Abdul-Rahman Berman expressed regret that the exchange deal did not include all detainees, including the forcibly disappeared.

The issue of the forcibly disappeared "was not part of the discussion between the negotiators", he said, noting that their families want an answer to one question: "Are they still alive or dead?"

That said, Berman added, the prisoner exchange is a "goodwill initiative by all sides", especially as it includes the four journalists who were sentenced to death in April 2020 by a Houthi-run court in Sanaa.

The four had been accused of treason and espionage, though Yemen's government had made it clear at the time that the court issuing the sentences has no legal authority.

In a further positive sign, two YouTubers and a producer who had been jailed by the Houthis for publishing videos critical of the Iran-backed group have received a pardon from the Houthi's political leader, Mahdi al-Mashat, AFP reported.

YouTubers Mustafa al-Mawmari and Ahmad Hajar had been sentenced by a Sanaa court to 18 months and 12 months respectively, while producer Hammoud al-Mesbahi received a six-month term.

There was no mention of Ahmad Elaw, a third YouTuber sentenced alongside the trio in March, who was jailed for three years, the longest sentence.

'Moment of hope'

UN Yemen envoy Hans Grundberg on Sunday (April 2) said the anniversary of the truce was a "moment of hope" although he also said there were significant risks.

The United States on Tuesday called on the Houthis' backer, Iran, to help end Yemen's conflict by backing a peace process -- a gesture Iran said it welcomed.

"If the Iranians want to show that they are really turning a corner on conflict, then there won't be smuggling of weapons to the Houthis anymore in violation of UN Security Council resolutions," US special envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking said.

"We also would like to see the Iranians show support for the political process that we hope is coming," Lenderking said.

"We are urging the parties to seize this opportunity, recognising that an agreement will require compromises from all parties," he said.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani described Lenderking's call as "gratifying". He said Tehran had been "striving for a peace process since the beginning of the war".