Geneva/Sanaa, Jan 25 (IANS) Yemen’s Houthi rebel group on Saturday unilaterally released a total of 153 war prisoners detained during the civil war with the Yemeni government forces in recent years, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said.
The release of conflict-related detainees in Sanaa was supported by an ICRC team, following a request from the National Committee for Prisoners Affairs. The detainees were among those who had previously received regular visits by the ICRC in Sanaa, as part of its detention work which seeks to ensure humane treatment and conditions for all those held in relation to conflict.
“This operation has brought much-needed relief and joy to families who have been anxiously waiting for the return of their loved ones. We know that many other families are also waiting for their chance to be reunited. We hope that today’s release will lead to many more moments like this,” said Christine Cipolla, the ICRC’s head of delegation in Yemen.
In line with its standard working procedures, the ICRC conducted private pre-departure interviews with the detainees to confirm their identity, inform their families of their imminent release and to offer assistance in support of a dignified return to their homes.
Prior to the release, ICRC medical staff assessed the health condition of the detainees, determined their fitness for road travel and provided individual travel arrangements for those who required additional support.
“As with every release operation that the ICRC is part of in Yemen, we hold confidential conversations with all detainees to listen to any concerns they may have about the process, to ensure they have been in contact with their families, and to gather the necessary information to follow up on their condition if needed in the coming weeks,” said Alessia Bertelli, the head of the ICRC’s protection department in Yemen.
The ICRC said that it welcomes this unilateral release as another positive step towards reviving negotiations under the Stockholm Agreement.
“We remain ready to play our role as a neutral intermediary in facilitating the release, transfer, and repatriation of any persons held in relation to the conflict in Yemen, as we did in 2020 and 2023, whenever the parties to the Stockholm Agreement decide to engage in such efforts again,” read an ICRC statement.
The ICRC is a neutral, impartial and independent organisation with an exclusively humanitarian mandate that stems from the Geneva Conventions of 1949. It helps people around the world affected by armed conflict and other violence, doing everything it can to protect their lives and dignity and to relieve their suffering, often alongside its Red Cross and Red Crescent partners.
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