The Yemeni government and the Houthis will swap prisoners and detainees starting Friday as part of a deal concluded in Switzerland. This will take place in parallel to diplomatic movements in Riyadh aimed at supporting Saudi and Omani efforts to persuade Yemeni parties to accept a proposed peace map.
Since last Sunday, Saudi and Omani diplomats have been trying to persuade the Houthis to agree to a peace map that includes securing a ceasefire and renewing and expanding the truce.
Yemeni and international circles are optimistic that the coming days will be crucial in reaching an agreement that will ultimately lead to a final and lasting peace in Yemen.
Yemeni government sources and the Houthis have reported that, on Thursday, the bodies of four identified dead were exchanged as part of the Switzerland deal.
Two bodies were transported overland to Sanaa, while the other two were taken to Marib.
Both government negotiator Majed Fadael and Houthi official in charge of prisoner affairs Abdul Qader Al-Mortada have reported that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) informed them that the process of exchanging prisoners and detainees will begin on Friday.
The first day of the three-day swap operation will witness the exchange of over 320 detainees and kidnapped individuals by both parties through ICRC planes, said Fadael in a tweet.
The prisoner exchange is scheduled to take place through six Yemeni and Saudi airports in Sanaa, Aden, Al-Mukalla, Marib, Riyadh, and Abha, facilitated by the ICRC.
The deal brokered in Switzerland last month between negotiators from the Yemeni government and Houthi militias involved the exchange of 887 prisoners and detainees, including both civilians and military personnel.
The negotiations, which were facilitated by the UN and the ICRC, lasted for 10 days.
The Yemeni government welcomed the agreement and stated that further discussions will be held to release the remaining prisoners and detainees based on the principle of “all for all.”
The anticipated exchange includes 181 individuals for the government and its supporting forces, and 706 individuals for the Houthi militias, most of whom were captured on battlefronts.
