‘Tears of joy’: Yemen-bound plane carrying Houthi prisoners leaves Saudi Arabia

Houthi prisoners of war shed “tears of joy” after boarding a flight from Saudi Arabia on Saturday bound for Yemen’s Houthi-held capital Sanaa, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) told Al Arabiya English.

The ICRC said that the flight from the southern Saudi city of Abha took off before 9 a.m. (0600 GMT) carrying 120 former detainees, part of a multi-day exchange involving nearly 900 prisoners.

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Speaking on the ground in Saudi Arabia, spokesperson of the ICRC in the GCC Alaa Nayel told Al Arabiya English: “It brings goosebumps to me knowing that tonight a lot of people are going to be sleeping in their homes.”

“It is very momentous, you know, to capture them (the prisoners) smiling and giggling and almost galloping to be on the plane and to go back home and reunite with their families.”

Nayel said the departing of the flight is part of a multi-day humanitarian operation to transfer nearly 900 detainees held in relation to the conflict in Yemen.

“Tonight they're going to rejoice after being reunited with their loved ones. It's really a truthful, joyful moment for us to know that these hundreds of these former detainees will be reunited with their families.”

Nayel said another plane carrying another estimated 120 former prisoners will also leave Saudi Arabia on Saturday.

“This release operation means that a lot of families are going to be reunited and especially during this holy month of Ramadan where family is the most important thing.”

Nayel said her colleagues in Sanaa shared stories from the first former prisoners who arrived home Friday.

“One was saying ‘you know, as soon as I get back home, I will hug my children. I've waited for so long, but I cannot wait any more to hug my children.”

“Another former detainee called his mom and he was telling her ‘I'm coming back home I'm coming back home’, and he was he was like trembling and crying tears of joy.”

“It is definitely a historic moment for us because the long wait is over. This has been brewing for some time and we've been in constant communication with the parties to the conflict. And it's finally happening - it's finally materializing.”

“We are really pleased that humanitarian considerations are being prioritized and it is being prioritized for the wellbeing of families yearning for the safe return of their loves ones.”

In a statement shared earlier with Al Arabiya English, the ICRC said its role is to ensure that humanitarian principles are respected and that detainees are treated with humanity.

"ICRC teams have assessed the health of the detainees and confirmed that they are fit to travel. The ICRC will use its planes to fly the detainees into and out of six cities in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. ICRC teams will accompany the detainees, overseeing the transfer and addressing any medical needs.”

“The Yemen Red Crescent Society (YRCS) and the Saudi Red Crescent Authority (SRCA) will also play vital roles in assisting the detainees. Their medical staff and volunteers are present at the six airports to help infirm detainees on and off the planes and provide first aid and ambulance services at the six airports.”

“The release operations are the result of talks concluded on 20 March 2023 in Bern, Switzerland, where the parties to the conflict in Yemen finalized the plan for the release. The ICRC co-chaired these meetings with the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen.”

Fabrizio Carboni, the ICRC’s regional director for the Near and Middle East, added: “With this act of goodwill, hundreds of families torn apart by conflict are being reunited during the holy month of Ramadan, a glimmer of hope amidst great suffering.”

“Our deep desire is that these releases provide momentum for a broader political solution, leading to even more detainees returning to their loved ones.”

Yemen’s conflict began in 2014 when the Houthis seized Sanaa and much of the country’s north.

The Houthi takeover prompted an Arab coalition to intervene months later.

The war has killed more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians, and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters.

The prisoner exchange had been scheduled to start earlier in the week but was delayed because of apparent logistical reasons.

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