Yemeni Official Denies Link between Detainees Swap & Ending War, Holds UN Responsible for Any Defect

By Mostafa Awada

As the Saudi aggression on Yemen enters its eighth year, and after the Head of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat, announced the initiative that provides cessation of all military operations against Saudi Arabia for three days, which entered into effect already, the United Nations have been sponsoring, for four months so far, negotiations for a swap deal between the Ansarullah movement and Saudi Arabia.

The outcome of the negotiations was a bilateral agreement to accomplish the deal through the UN, and it includes 1400 detainees from the side of the Yemeni Army and Popular Committees, in exchange for 823 detainees from the other side. Among them are 16 Saudis and three Sudanese, in addition to Nasser Mansour, the brother of outgoing president Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, and his defense minister Mahmoud al-Subeihi.

In this regard, Head of National Committee for Yemeni Detainees’ Affairs, Abdul Qader al-Murtada told al-Ahed News that the swap deal has been agreed on under conditions and proposals set by the committee and the United Nations.

“This phase is interim and not inclusive as was planned before. This is because there are detainees from different nationalities, and upon the mediator’s order who demanded this to facilitate the process, which isn’t but one part that will be followed by other stages,” he added.

Al-Murtada pointed to that negotiations took place indirectly between the two sides via the UN envoy, stressing that the warring parties didn’t meet except once in a Zoom meeting.

As for the significances of the deal, al-Murtada told al-Ahed that this process has nothing to do with the calming of situation or stopping the aggression; hence, releasing Hadi and al-Subeihi was agreed on in exchange for releasing as much Yemeni detainees as possible. He then underscored that Yemen is working to stop the war as per the initiative proposed by President al-Mashat.

The Head of National Committee for Yemeni Detainees’ Affairs hoped that the Saudi team be ready for finishing the deal since any possible defect doesn’t serve the interest of either sides. Al-Murtada further stressed that any defect is ruled out, but the mediator, the United Nations, bears the responsibility if it happened.