In a significant humanitarian gesture, Yemen’s Houthi rebels unilaterally released 153 war detainees today. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) supported the operation, which aimed to bring relief and joy to families who have been anxiously waiting for the return of their loved ones.
The ICRC said that it welcomes this unilateral release as another positive step towards reviving negotiations under the Stockholm Agreement.
The release of conflict-related detainees in Sanaa was supported by an ICRC team, following a request from the National Committee for Prisoners Affairs. The detainees were among those who had previously received regular visits by the ICRC in Sanaa, as part of its detention work which seeks to ensure humane treatment and conditions for all those held in relation to conflict.
Prior to the release, ICRC medical staff assessed the health condition of the detainees, determined their fitness for road travel and provided individual travel arrangements for those who required additional support.
The ICRC is a neutral, impartial and independent organisation with an exclusively humanitarian mandate that stems from the Geneva Conventions of 1949. It helps people around the world affected by armed conflict and other violence, doing everything it can to protect their lives and dignity and to relieve their suffering, often alongside its Red Cross and Red Crescent partners.
