Yemeni rebels and government forces have released dozens of prisoners, including a woman, in the latest of a three-day exchange of more than 800 prisoners, boosting hopes of ending their protracted war.
Five flights carrying nearly 200 prisoners from both sides flew between Sanaa, the capital of the Houthi rebels, and the government-controlled northern city of Marib.
The operation was “successfully concluded” on Sunday, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
The ICRC said this brought the number of prisoners released in the past three days to 869, under an agreement reached in Switzerland last month.
Among those exchanged on Sunday was a woman, Samira March, who was detained by government forces five years ago and charged with organizing explosions that killed dozens, a government official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“She was released in exchange for the release of journalists detained by the Houthis,” government negotiator Majed Fadail confirmed to AFP news agency.
The four journalists had been sentenced to death by the Houthis affiliated with Iran.
ICRC’s Fatima Sator, who has traveled with the released prisoners on the flights, told Al Jazeera that it is “such a beautiful moment full of happiness and joy that we get to experience every time at the airport.”
“These operations are all about reuniting families,” Sator said. “This week, nearly 900 detainees have been reunited with their families, meaning thousands of people can celebrate Eid together this year,” she said.
Some of the released on Sunday were taken to the Red Cross plane in wheelchairs. Those who boarded in Marib were given plastic bags of food for when the daily Ramadan was over.
At Sanaa airport, Houthi fighters performed a ceremonial dance with swords to greet their comrades.
On Friday, 318 detainees were transported on four flights between Sanaa and government-controlled Aden, reuniting detainees with their families ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
On Saturday, 357 detainees flew between the Saudi city of Abha and Sanaa. Saudis were among the released prisoners.
It is not known how many prisoners each side still has.
Build trust
The Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014, leading to the Saudi-led intervention the following year. Hundreds of thousands have died in the conflict, which has created a major humanitarian crisis.
A United Nations-brokered ceasefire that took effect in April 2022 has greatly reduced casualties. The ceasefire expired in October, but fighting has largely been suspended.
Marib Governorate, an oil-rich region, saw some of the most bitter fighting in the past two years.
The city of Marib is the last northern bastion of the government, now located in the southern city of Aden.
The prisoner exchange, the largest since the release of more than 1,000 prisoners in October 2020, is a confidence-building measure that coincides with intense diplomatic pressure to end the war as the nine-year mark approaches.
Analysts say Saudi Arabia, which leads the military coalition against the Houthis, now accepts that its protracted military campaign will not defeat the rebels.
The exchange and ceasefire negotiations come a month after Gulf heavyweights Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to restore diplomatic ties, sparking a wave of rapprochement across the region.
A Saudi delegation has traveled to rebel-held Sanaa to push for a more lasting ceasefire, even as the Houthis generally object to Saudi mediation, insisting that the neighboring kingdom plays a central role in the conflict.
The delegation left on Thursday without a final ceasefire, but with plans for more talks that the Saudi foreign ministry said on Saturday would take place “as soon as possible”.
Houthi’s political chief Mahdi al-Mashat said the next round of talks with Saudi Arabia would begin after Eid al-Fitr and is expected on April 21, Yemen’s Saba news agency reported.
Experts say Saudi Arabia is likely seeking security guarantees from Iran, including stopping Houthi drone and missile attacks on Saudi territory.
The UN considers the conflict in Yemen a humanitarian disaster that has brought the country to the brink of famine. The war has taken a heavy toll on the country’s infrastructure.