Yemenupdated 21m ago2 min read
Houthis Release 600 Yemen Conflict Detainees With ICRC Support in Sana’a
“at least 17 people were killed or wounded when a Houthi missile struck vehicles”
“The release was initiated by the National Committee for Prisoners Affairs”
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Houthis unilaterally release 600 detainees in Sana'a with ICRC support. ICRC conducted private interviews with each detainee before release.
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600 Freed in Sanaa
Houthi authorities in Sana’a unilaterally released 600 detainees held in connection with the Yemen conflict, with support from the International Committee of the Red Cross. ICRC delegates conducted private interviews with each detainee before the release operation and provided assistance to ensure their dignified return home. Abdul Qadir al-Murtada, head of the Houthis’ National Committee for Prisoners’ Affairs, presented the step in a ceremony in Sana’a, the capital controlled by the insurgents since 2014.
The ICRC said the release was initiated by the National Committee for Prisoners’ Affairs and was not part of the Stockholm Agreement, and it said it did not participate in determining the identities or numbers of those released. The ICRC also said it was ready, at the request of the parties involved, to act as a neutral mediator to facilitate or support future operations related to the release, transfer, or repatriation of detainees.
How the Red Cross Framed It
The ICRC stated that it supported the release operation while conducting private interviews with each detainee and arranging for further assistance when needed. The ICRC said the release came on the initiative of the National Committee for Prisoners’ Affairs and was not part of the Stockholm Agreement, and it said it did not participate in determining the identities or numbers of those released. Abdul Qadir al-Murtada told EFE that the operation was not seeking revenge and that the measure was humanitarian, while he accused the Yemeni government, backed by Saudi Arabia, of abandoning its troops and treating them as “ dispensable.”
EFE reported that al-Murtada said the Huthis had previously freed another 2,612 detainees in five separate batches without demanding any compensation. The ICRC said it remained ready, at the request of the parties, to act as a neutral intermediary in facilitating or supporting future releases, transfers and repatriations of people detained in connection with the conflict in Yemen.
Prisoner Talks and Wider War
The sources also noted that the Yemeni government and the Houthis reached an agreement in Stockholm on December 13, 2018, focusing on exchanging prisoners and detainees.
Al-Murtada said the Huthis were willing to implement the prisoner exchange agreement reached in mid-May in Amman under the auspices of the UN and the ICRC, and he attributed stagnation to the government’s refusal and to the suspension of consultations by the United Nations special envoy due to alleged “Saudi directives.” The ICRC said the release did not fall under the Stockholm Agreement and that it did not play any role in determining who or how many people would be released.
A government military source told Xinhua that a Houthi missile struck vehicles carrying families fleeing fierce fighting in the southern province of Lahj, killing or wounding at least 17 people, while a Houthi military source said its targets were military gatherings.
The sources also described ongoing escalation, with the Houthis’ unilateral release taking place as fighting reactivated after the UN ceasefire in April 2022 and as government forces launched the “Yemen Dawn” operation on 5 October after heightened actions by the Houthis that began in July.