On the second day of a major prisoner exchange between the rebels and the government, supported by a Saudi-led military coalition, more than 200 detainees from the Yemen War were released on Saturday. This exchange takes place amidst improving relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which supports the Houthi rebels, and talks to end over eight years of conflict in Yemen, the poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula.
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), a plane carrying 120 Houthi detainees landed in Sanaa, the Yemeni capital held by the insurgents, from the Saudi city of Abha (south) on Saturday. Another plane, with 117 Houthi detainees on board, took off later from Abha en route to the Yemeni capital, according to the ICRC. A total of about 900 detainees were expected to be released over three days in accordance with an agreement reached in early March in Switzerland between the Yemeni government and the rebels.
The war in Yemen has caused one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, with hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced amid epidemics, a lack of clean water, and hunger. More than three-quarters of the population relies on international aid, which continues to decline. While fighting has largely ceased since the negotiation of a UN-brokered ceasefire a year ago, this officially ended in October. Last week, a delegation from Saudi Arabia traveled to Sanaa to hold talks aimed at resuming the ceasefire and laying the groundwork for a more durable ceasefire.
This vast prisoner exchange operation, the largest since the release of more than 1,000 prisoners in October 2020, is taking place in a context of regional appeasement. The two great powers, Saudi Arabia and Iran, concluded an agreement in March, negotiated under the aegis of China, to resume their relations after seven years of rupture, which could change the regional situation. According to Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House, Riyadh seeks to “limit its military participation in Yemen” and establish a “long-lasting peace that allows it to focus on its economic priorities.” However, the wealthy oil monarchy will remain “the intermediary, investor, and guarantor of the conflict in Yemen” for a long time, she notes.