The released detainees will soon be brought to the territory controlled by the internationally recognized government
Houthi rebels from the Yemen-based Ansar Allah movement have unilaterally released 153 war detainees who took part in military operations on the side of the country’s government forces, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said in a statement.
“Today, 153 conflict-related detainees were released in Sana’a. This unilateral release 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 Sana’a, as part of our detention work which seeks to ensure humane treatment and conditions for all those held in relation to conflict,” the statement reads.
According to the ICRC, the organization “conducted private pre-departure interviews with the detainees to confirm their identity, inform their families of their imminent release.” “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 statement notes.
The released detainees will soon be brought to the territory controlled by the internationally recognized government.
Abdul Qader al-Murtada, the head of the Houthis’ Committee for Prisoners’ Affairs, announced earlier that the movement would release dozens of prisoners on Saturday. According to him, the release was ordered by Ansar Allah leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi and Mahdi Al-Mashat, head of the movement’s Supreme Political Council.
The confrontation between government forces and Houthi rebels, which has been raging in Yemen since August 2014, intensified in March 2015, when a Saudi Arabia-led coalition joined the conflict. The civil war in Yemen has caused an unprecedented humanitarian disaster.
