GCC Welcomes Yemen Prisoner Exchange Agreement, Praises Role of Saudi Arabia and Oman
Yemen Monitor – Newsroom:
Jassem Mohamed Al-Budaiwi, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), on Tuesday welcomed the agreement signed in Muscat, Oman, on a prisoner exchange in Yemen.
Al-Budaiwi commended the efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Sultanate of Oman, the Office of the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in reaching the agreement, describing it as an important step toward humanitarian de-escalation and confidence-building among Yemeni parties.
He emphasized that the agreement contributes to advancing peace and stability in Yemen, alleviating the humanitarian suffering of the Yemeni people, and laying the groundwork for a comprehensive and sustainable political solution that ensures the country’s security and unity, while fulfilling Yemenis’ aspirations for peace and development.
Earlier on Tuesday, the prisoner exchange agreement was announced during the tenth round of consultations on the issue, hosted by the Omani capital, Muscat. The agreement provides for the release of approximately 2,900 detainees from all parties and across various frontlines.
The Stockholm Agreement, signed in December 2018, stipulated a role for the International Committee of the Red Cross as a neutral intermediary in such operations, stemming from its neutral, impartial, and humanitarian mandate based on international humanitarian law.
Within this framework, the ICRC has facilitated the release, transfer, and return of more than 900 detainees in Yemen in 2020, and more than 1,000 detainees in 2023.
