241 Captives Released in Deal Between Yemeni Army, Houthis

Armed Houthi militants shout slogans during a demonstration in support of the militia in Sana'a. Reuters
Armed Houthi militants shout slogans during a demonstration in support of the militia in Sana'a. Reuters
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241 Captives Released in Deal Between Yemeni Army, Houthis

Armed Houthi militants shout slogans during a demonstration in support of the militia in Sana'a. Reuters
Armed Houthi militants shout slogans during a demonstration in support of the militia in Sana'a. Reuters

The Yemeni armed forces and Houthi militias on Monday struck a deal to exchange captives, resulting in the release of more than 200 people, official sources said.

According to Yemen National Military Website (SeptemberNet), the exchange included prisoners in the liberated Shabwa province.

There were 241 prisoners and abductees, SeptemberNet said, while the Houthi Saba news agency said that 275 prisoners were released.

The Yemeni military’s website quoted sources in the brigade “26 Mika” as saying that the deal succeeded in releasing 120 abductees from Bihan’s directorate and the body of a martyr who died under torture, while the army released in return 120 prisoners of war belonging to the coup militia, who were arrested in the battlefield.

The military source said the deal was carried out under the instruction of the Supreme Command of the National Army and the leadership of Bihan, led by Major General Mufreh Buhaibeh with the participation of the heads of brigades and Popular Resistance forces at the Bihan battlefront.

Contrary to what the Yemeni army reported, sources from the Houthi militia said that the deal included the release of 165 of its members taken captive by the National Army.

It added that "local mediation" succeeded in concluding the exchange deal, which included "the release of 275 prisoners from both sides."

The Yemeni army forces had liberated the last areas controlled by Houthi militias in Shabwa province, including Bihan and Assilan directorates, in December before continuing their incursion into the neighboring province of Baidha and expelling militias from Na’aman and Nata directorates.



Egypt Says GERD Lacks Legally Binding Agreement

This grab taken from video shows Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, Ethiopia, Feb. 20, 2022. (AP Photo)
This grab taken from video shows Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, Ethiopia, Feb. 20, 2022. (AP Photo)
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Egypt Says GERD Lacks Legally Binding Agreement

This grab taken from video shows Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, Ethiopia, Feb. 20, 2022. (AP Photo)
This grab taken from video shows Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, Ethiopia, Feb. 20, 2022. (AP Photo)

Egypt said Friday that Ethiopia has consistently lacked the political will to reach a binding agreement on its now-complete dam, an issue that involves Nile River water rights and the interests of Egypt and Sudan.

Ethiopia’s prime minister said Thursday that the country’s power-generating dam, known as the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), on the Nile is now complete and that the government is “preparing for its official inauguration” in September.

Egypt has long opposed the construction of the dam, because it would reduce the country's share of Nile River waters, which it almost entirely relies on for agriculture and to serve its more than 100 million people.

The more than the $4 billion dam on the Blue Nile near the Sudan border began producing power in 2022. It’s expected to eventually produce more than 6,000 megawatts of electricity — double Ethiopia’s current output.

Ethiopia and Egypt have spent years trying to reach an agreement over the dam, which Ethiopia began building in 2011.

Both countries reached no deal despite negotiations over 13 years, and it remains unclear how much water Ethiopia will release downstream in case of a drought.

Egyptian officials, in a statement, called the completion of the dam “unlawful” and said that it violates international law, reflecting “an Ethiopian approach driven by an ideology that seeks to impose water hegemony” instead of equal partnership.

“Egypt firmly rejects Ethiopia’s continued policy of imposing a fait accompli through unilateral actions concerning the Nile River, which is an international shared watercourse,” Egypt’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation said in a statement Friday.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, in his address to lawmakers Thursday, said that his country “remains committed to ensuring that our growth does not come at the expense of our Egyptian and Sudanese brothers and sisters.”

“We believe in shared progress, shared energy, and shared water,” he said. “Prosperity for one should mean prosperity for all.”

However, the Egyptian water ministry said Friday that Ethiopian statements calling for continued negotiations “are merely superficial attempts to improve its image on the international stage.”

“Ethiopia’s positions, marked by evasion and retreat while pursuing unilateralism, are in clear contradiction with its declared willingness to negotiate,” the statement read.

However, Egypt is addressing its water needs by expanding agricultural wastewater treatment and improving irrigation systems, according to the ministry, while also bolstering cooperation with Nile Basin countries through backing development and water-related projects.