Yemen’s warring parties hold prisoner swap talks in Geneva

The Yemen talks began a day after Iran and Saudi Arabia announced an agreement to restore diplomatic relations.

Representatives of Yemen’s government and Iran-aligned Houthi rebels began talks in Geneva on Saturday with the aim of implementing an agreement on a prisoner exchangesaid United Nations.

The deal, which brought Yemen’s warring sides — the internationally recognized government and the Houthis — to Switzerland, is being monitored by the UN envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

“I hope that the parties are ready to enter into serious and forthcoming discussions to agree on the release of as many detainees as possible,” Grundberg said in a statement.

“I urge the parties to honor the commitments they made, not only to each other, but also to the thousands of Yemeni families who have been waiting to be reunited with their loved ones for far too long,” he added.

Yemen’s conflict erupted in 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and much of the north of the country. That sparked a Saudi-led coalition. to intervene months later in an attempt to restore the internationally recognized government to power.

The conflict has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters.

The talks, reportedly scheduled to last 11 days, marked the seventh meeting aimed at implementing a prisoner exchange agreement reached in Stockholm five years ago, the UN said.

Pursuant to that agreement, the parties agreed to “release all prisoners, detainees, disappeared persons, persons arbitrarily detained and forcibly disappeared, and persons under house arrest,” held in connection with the conflict, “without exceptions or conditions ”.

Jason Straziuso, ICRC spokesman in Geneva, characterized the meeting as an opportunity to “reduce the humanitarian suffering associated with this conflict.”

“If more detainees are released, it will be good news for the families who can be reunited with their loved ones,” he said.

The ICRC noted that previous meetings mediated by Grundberg’s office had “resulted in the release of prisoners on both sides.”

“In 2020, more than 1,050 detainees were released and provided with transportation to their region of origin or country of origin after an agreement reached by the parties,” he said.

Majed Fadail, Yemen’s deputy minister for human rights and a member of the government delegation, said they were eager to release all prisoners of war to help achieve “long-lasting and comprehensive peace” in Yemen.

Abdul-Qader el-Murtaza, head of the Houthi delegation, said they expected this round of talks to prove “decisive.”

The Union of Mothers of Kidnapped, an association of female relatives of detainees imprisoned by the Houthis, called for a “radical solution” to end the suffering of those languishing in prison. He said in a statement that the release of prisoners would be a step forward in ending the conflict.

The talks started a day later. Iran and Saudi Arabia announced a Chinese-brokered deal to restore diplomatic ties after years of frayed ties and hostilities.

Analysts greeted the Iran-Saudi Arabia deal with caution. Ahmed Nagi, a Yemen expert at Crisis Group International, said that while the deal was “an important step,” it does not mean Yemen’s multi-stage conflict will be resolved quickly.

“It is not clear what the details of the deal are and how Tehran and Riyadh will deal with Yemen’s complexities on the ground,” he said.