Today (Sunday), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) completed the prisoner exchange deal with the release of about 89 abductees and prisoners from the government forces, including 4 journalists who were sentenced to death by the Houthis and 4 sons and relatives of former Yemeni Vice President Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar, in exchange for 107 Houthi prisoners, according to the agreement of last March. The International Committee of the Red Cross announced the successful completion of the deal between Sana'a Airport and Taddin Military Airport in Ma'rib Governorate.
The spokesman for the government negotiating team, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Human Rights, Majed Fadael, told Okaz: "We cannot express our joy at the completion of the deal and the release of the abductees and prisoners from prisons, explaining that today 89 abductees and prisoners were exchanged for 107 Houthis."
Fadayel explained that among the released abductees were journalists sentenced to death, Tawfiq Al-Mansouri, Al-Harith Hamid, Akram Al-Walidi, and Abdul-Khaliq Omran, in addition to the son and relatives of the former Vice President, Lieutenant General Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar (Bilal Ali, Mohsen Ali, Sami Makki, and Ali Al-Qadi). Indicating that the joy will not be complete unless the rest of the detainees and abductees are released and the prisons are cleared.
He added, "We will not reserve any effort to release all for all without discrimination, including the leaders included in Resolution 2216 (Faisal Rajab and Muhammad Qahtan), and we will return to negotiations on May 15 to complete the rest of the previously agreed upon names of 2,223 abductees and prisoners," indicating that the next step is after Eid and before returning to negotiations, a committee from both sides will visit prisons to see the conditions of the abductees and prisoners.
The prisoner exchange process between the legitimate government and the Houthis showed tragic stories, as a family in Amran governorate received its captive son, who was fighting in the ranks of the Houthis, in the Midi district of Hajjah governorate, 5 years after announcing his death and burying a fake body for him.
Media sources in Sana'a said that Raddad Al-Harthi's family, who had forgotten him after burying a body they had received from the militia on February 18, 2018, were surprised (Saturday) by his arrival to his hometown as part of a prisoner exchange deal in Jabal Ayal Yazid district.
The sources quoted the family as having buried an unknown person at the time and were not allowed to see his body.
Ahmad Al-Shameri (Jeddah) @a_shmeri