Yemen's prisoner swap deal expected to take weeks

World
Europe

A prisoner swap in Yemen involving more than 15,000 prisoners will take weeks including possibly the repatriation of third country nationals captured in the nearly four-year war, a senior official of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Tuesday.

Yemen's Houthi movement and the Saudi-backed government on Tuesday exchanged lists of some 15,000 prisoners for a swap. The lists will be reviewed over four weeks, ahead of a final swap to be facilitated by the ICRC.

"We know that lists have been exchanged ... It's going to take a number of weeks for sure," Johannes Bruwer, the outgoing ICRC head of delegation in Yemen, told a news briefing in Geneva.

Houthi representative Salim al-Moughaless (R) and Yemeni economist and government representative Ahmed Ghaleb shake hands during the Yemen peace talks in Sweden, December 10, 2018. /VCG Photo

The Yemeni government, which is backed by Saudi-led coalition, provided a list of 8,576 detainees that included members of the family of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was killed by the Houthis in December 2017. It also included more than 300 children and 88 women.

The Houthis, on the other hand, provided a list of 7,487 captives and detainees. Houthis representative Abdul-Qader el-Murtaza said the government list includes prisoners from member countries in the coalition, such as Sudan and the United Arab Emirates.

January 20 was set as the final date for the prisoner swap overseen by the Red Cross. After four weeks of verification of the prisoners' names, there will be 10 days for the Red Cross to prepare logistic and technical matters for the transfer and exchange of the prisoners.

Martin Griffith, special envoy for Yemen of the UN secretary-general speaks during a press conference of the Yemen peace talks in Sweden, December 10, 2018. /VCG Photo

Martin Griffiths, the UN's Yemen envoy, told reporters in Sweden on Monday that he was encouraged by the positive and serious spirit both sides have demonstrated in the talks.

Both sides are now discussing initial draft proposals for Hodeidah, home to the Hodeidah port where about 70 percent of food aid and other imports are shipped through. Houthi delegation member Gamal Amer said the proposals would include a halt to all fighting, the withdrawal of troops to the city limits and later out of the province while allowing UN oversight.

Even an immediate halt in hostilities may not avert famine in Yemen, Bruwer said. Some 22 million people, or four out of five in Yemen rely on food aid. He called for the opening of not just Hodeidah port, but also the opening of the Sanaa airport, currently under Houthi control.

"If everything were to stop tomorrow, we would still have a very difficult time in addressing the malnutrition and the increasing risk of famine," he said.

(Top image: Houthi delegate Abdelqader Mourtada (L) and Yemen government delegate Brigadier General Asker Zaeel shake hands at the negotiating table during the ongoing peace talks on Yemen held in Sweden, December 11, 2018. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): AP ,Reuters