Red Cross ready to facilitate the exchange of prisoners and visits to detention centers

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced, on Tuesday, its readiness to facilitate the recent prisoner exchange deal, which Sanaa reached with the aggression coalition, and to help facilitate all procedures for the release of more prisoners.

“The ICRC stands ready to continue its role as a neutral intermediary, facilitating purely humanitarian visits to detention centers, contributing to the restoration of family links, and supporting the release, transfer, and return of conflict-related detainees to their families and home countries,” said Daphne Marit, head of the ICRC delegation to Yemen.

This comes after the announcement of the conclusion of the latest round of Geneva negotiations, with an agreement to release more than 880 prisoners, after three weeks, to be followed by mutual visits and another round held next May.

The Committee of the Red Cross considered that the recent exchange deal represents “a decisive step that will end the suffering of many families who have been separated, and will contribute to building trust between the parties.”

“We hope it will lead to more releases,” she added.

The Committee of the Red Cross had previously supervised a wide exchange operation, which included more than 1,000 prisoners from both sides in October 2020, and their transfer via flights.