The first group of supporters of the rebel movement Ansar Allah (Houthis) arrived in the city of Aden as part of the exchange of prisoners between the Houthis and the official Yemeni government which started on Friday. This was reported by the Al-Hadath TV channel.
According to its information, the first group of 249 Houthis supporters have arrived at Aden airport for their further transfer to the city of Sanaa, which is under the control of Ansar Allah.
According to a representative of the International Red Cross in Yemen, "today four flights from Sanaa to Aden will transport prisoners who until recently have been held by the parties to the conflict." The representative of the international organization also said that the entire exchange process includes 15 flights that will take place over the next three days. "The exchange process is going according to plan and so far without any obstacles," he added. Some time ago, a spokesman for the International Red Cross said, the first plane left Sanaa with formerly Houthi government supporters on board.
The exchange of prisoners and detainees between Ansar Allah and the Yemeni government was scheduled to begin on Thursday, but the process was postponed by a day for technical reasons. According to the UN, a total of 887 people will be handed over to each other by the parties in the coming days: the Houthis will release 181 prisoners and the government will release 706 Houthis. Among those freed by Ansar Allah are Sudanese nationals and Saudi nationals.
In recent days, a Saudi delegation has been holding consultations in Sanaa with the parties to the Yemeni conflict, with the mediation of Omani representatives, in order to conclude a sustainable truce and achieve a political solution to the crisis in Yemen. Riyadh intends to negotiate with Ansar Allah to reopen the country's ports and airports, which are blocked by rebels, and to discuss a possible political transition process. According to Reuters, if an agreement is reached, the sides could announce it before the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr (Uraza Bayram), which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan and begins on April 21.
In Yemen, the confrontation between government forces and armed groups of the Houthi rebels has been going on since August 2014. It reached its most active phase with the invasion of the country in March 2015 by the Saudi-led coalition.
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Based on materials from TASS