Yemen prisoner swap could involve 16,000 detainees
Yemen’s warring parties have exchanged lists with the names of 16,000 people they believe to be detained, the International Committee of the Red Cross said yesterday.
The Red Cross said that the names include prisoners detained outside Yemen.
The move is part of a prisoner-swap deal signed last week during UN-backed talks in Sweden intended to act as a confidence-building measure between warring parties before a second round of negotiations begins early next year.
January 20 has been set as a preliminary deadline for the prisoner swap, with each side releasing detainees simultaneously under the supervision of the Red Cross.
The Yemeni government have threatened to boycott the peace talks unless the deal goes ahead.
“They now have six weeks to make sure that the lists are accurate, that those people are detained,” said Fabrizio Carboni, Red Cross director for the Middle East.
Mr Carboni said his team would have 10 days next month to interview each of those on the list, give medical checks and then arrange to transfer the prisoners to their places of origin by bus or plane.
Each side’s list included the names of 8,000 people they are looking for who may be held, but some of those whose names appear on the lists may be dead, missing or duplicates, said Mr Carboni, after returning from Yemen.
Up to 18,000 Yemenis are believed to be detained in Houthi prisons, including 1,700 minors and at least 90 women, a Yemeni government official said last week.
Houthi rebels are also believed to have captured members of the Saudi-led coalition, with Saudi troops included among the detainees.
The operation will require the Arab Coalition to guarantee that air space is secure for flights, Mr Carboni said.
The peace deal also led to a ceasefire agreement in Hodeidah, which went into effect on Tuesday night. But there have been reports of sporadic Houthi shelling on the outskirts of the port city.
Last week’s talks sidestepped discussions on a political transition, but warring parties are expected to discuss that in the second round of negotiations.
The UN is hoping to build on the progress to reach a framework for a comprehensive peace deal.
The Yemeni government has said it is willing to consider a Houthi role in government if rebels agree to sever ties with Iran and its regional proxies, including the Lebanese Hezbollah.