Two ICRC planes, each carrying 48 prisoners, left for Sanaa, while eight other detainees boarded a third flight for Aden, the major southern city where the Yemeni government is based.
A spokesperson said the Geneva-based ICRC was providing airlift and logistical support, and arranging interviews with the released detainees. The operation, which comes just days before the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, brings the number of detainees released since Friday to 973.
The exchange of detainees this weekend was part of a deal struck in March in Geneva between the Yemeni government, backed by a Saudi-led military coalition, and the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.
It is the biggest release since October 2020, when more than 1,000 prisoners were freed. It raises hopes for peace in a conflict that has plunged Yemen into a deep humanitarian crisis, left hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced, according to the UN.
A six-month UN-brokered truce that began in April 2022 was not renewed when it expired in October, but the situation on the ground has remained calm, offering a respite to the population.
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