In a surprising move, Yemen’s Houthi group released over 100 detainees in Sanaa on Sunday, describing it as a “unilateral humanitarian initiative” to pardon prisoners and reunite them with their families. The head of the Houthi-run prisoner affairs committee, Abdul Qader Al-Murtada, stated that most of the released individuals were humanitarian cases, including the sick, wounded, and elderly, who were government soldiers captured at the battlefront.
However, Yemen’s internationally recognized government disputed this claim, asserting that the detainees were civilians kidnapped by the Houthis from their homes, mosques, and workplaces. Majed Fadail, the deputy minister for human rights in the government, condemned the release, stating that it did not absolve the Houthis of their crimes.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) confirmed the release of 113 “conflict-related” detainees and ensured that the process was conducted in a humane and dignified manner. One of the released detainees, Murshed Al Jamaai, expressed his relief, stating, “I feel completely at ease, as if I was born again today.”
The conflict in Yemen has been ongoing since the Houthi takeover of Sanaa in 2014, with the Saudi Arabia-led coalition intervening in 2015 to restore the government. Despite a proposed UN roadmap for peace last December, progress has been hindered by increased Houthi attacks in the Red Sea region. The situation has raised concerns about global commerce disruptions, inflation fears, and potential destabilization in the Middle East due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.