Reuters: Prisoner Exchange Deal Stalls After Aden Government Cancels Agreement; Sana’a Confirms Readiness for Implementation
The two sides trade accusations over responsibility for the disruption, while the prisoner file returns to a state of deadlock despite the completion of previous arrangements.
NYN | Reports and Analyses
The prisoner exchange file in Yemen has suffered a new setback following the announced cancellation of the exchange deal that was scheduled to be executed. This has resulted in the postponement of the operation and pushed the humanitarian file back into a state of stagnation, at a time when the Sana’a authorities confirmed they had finalized all necessary preparations to implement the agreement according to the agreed schedule.
Reuters correspondent in Yemen, Mohammed Ghobari, quoted an official from the prisoner affairs committee of the internationally recognized government stating that the government decided to cancel the exchange deal with Sana’a ahead of its scheduled execution, without proceeding with the planned measures.
Sources in Aden: Cancellation Decision Coincided with Field Developments
According to the sources, the director of the media center for the Southern Al-Amalqa (Giants) Brigades, Aseel Al-Saqladi, confirmed the cancellation of the deal. He pointed out that the decision coincided with the arrival of armed tribal groups in the city of Aden, who expressed their rejection of executing the exchange operation in its current format.
No further official clarifications have been issued so far regarding the final reasons that led to the cancellation of the agreement or the timeline for resuming talks on the matter.
Sana’a Holds the Other Party Responsible for the Obstruction
On the other hand, the head of the National Committee for Prisoners’ Affairs in Sana’a, Abdulqader Al-Murtada, held the opposing side fully responsible for the stalling of the agreement. He emphasized that the prisoner committee in Sana’a had fulfilled all its obligations and was fully prepared to execute the exchange operation as previously agreed.
Al-Murtada explained that the other party refused to include the remaining prisoners in their custody within the exchange operation, despite the completion of all procedures related to the agreement, considering this the primary cause for disrupting the execution of the deal.
UN and Red Cross Notified of Readiness
Al-Murtada indicated that the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) were officially notified of Sana’a’s readiness to implement the agreement as soon as the other side commits to its terms, accusing the opposing side of prolonging the suffering of the prisoners by disrupting the deal’s execution.
