ICRC: Yemen's Houthis Free More than 113 Detainees

A detainee embraces his mother after his release by the Houthis in Sanaa, Yemen May 26, 2024. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
A detainee embraces his mother after his release by the Houthis in Sanaa, Yemen May 26, 2024. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
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ICRC: Yemen's Houthis Free More than 113 Detainees

A detainee embraces his mother after his release by the Houthis in Sanaa, Yemen May 26, 2024. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
A detainee embraces his mother after his release by the Houthis in Sanaa, Yemen May 26, 2024. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah

Yemen's Houthi group freed more than 113 detainees in Sanaa on Sunday, the International Committee of the Red Cross reported.
The Houthi group claimed the detainees had been government soldiers captured at the battlefront. But Yemen's internationally recognized government said the detainees were not soldiers, but civilians the Houthis had kidnapped from homes, mosques and workplaces.
"Releasing these victims under any name does not absolve (the Houthis) of this crime," Majed Fadail, deputy minister for human rights in Yemen's internationally recognized government wrote in a post on social media platform X.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) confirmed on Sunday the unilateral release of 113 "conflict-related" detainees and said in a statement that it assisted the detainees to ensure their release was humane and dignified.
"I feel completely at ease, as if I was born again today. Because we were desperate and thought we would never get out," said Murshed Al Jamaai, a detainee released on Sunday.
Yemen has been mired in conflict since the Houthis ousted the government from the capital Sanaa in late 2014.
The outlines of a proposed Yemen UN roadmap for peace were agreed last December, but progress towards peace stalled as the Houthis ramped up attacks on ships in and around the Red Sea, alleging they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza war.
The campaign has disrupted global commerce, stoked fears of inflation and deepened concern that fallout from the Israel-Hamas war could destabilize parts of the Middle East.



Palestinian Authority at Risk of Collapse, Norway Says

Foreign Minister of Norway Espen Barth Eide attends the annual Kultaranta Talks -debate session on foreign and security policy at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland June 13, 2024. (Lehtikuva/Markku Ulander via Reuters)
Foreign Minister of Norway Espen Barth Eide attends the annual Kultaranta Talks -debate session on foreign and security policy at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland June 13, 2024. (Lehtikuva/Markku Ulander via Reuters)
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Palestinian Authority at Risk of Collapse, Norway Says

Foreign Minister of Norway Espen Barth Eide attends the annual Kultaranta Talks -debate session on foreign and security policy at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland June 13, 2024. (Lehtikuva/Markku Ulander via Reuters)
Foreign Minister of Norway Espen Barth Eide attends the annual Kultaranta Talks -debate session on foreign and security policy at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland June 13, 2024. (Lehtikuva/Markku Ulander via Reuters)

The Palestinian Authority could collapse in the coming months, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said on Monday, citing a lack of funding, continuing violence and the fact that half a million Palestinians are not allowed to work in Israel.

"The situation is extremely dire. The Palestinian Authority, with whom we work closely, are warning us that they might be collapsing this summer," Barth Eide told Reuters.

"If it collapses, you could end up having another Gaza, which would be terrible for everybody, including the people of Israel," he added.

Norway chairs the international donor group to the Palestinians and is a backer of the PA.