SW News: There appears to be a ray of hope for civil war-hit Yemen in recent weeks, as Chinese mediation has resulted in the resumption of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran who are supporters of the warring factions in the Middle Eastern nation. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has announced that prisoner exchange talks have resumed between both sides and the first batch of prisoners has been exchanged.

On April 14, one flight with 35 prisoners landed in the port city of Aden, which is controlled by the government supported by Saudi Arabia and another flight with 125 prisoners landed in Sanaa, the capital controlled by the Houthi militia supported by Iran. ICRC said it will dispatch its aircraft to transport the detainees who were granted freedom in recent days. They will be taken to six cities in the country as well as Saudi Arabia in the coming days.

Hans Grundberg, the UN Special Envoy for Yemen said, "This release operation comes at a time of hope for Yemen. It represents a reminder of the importance of constructive dialogue and mutual compromise which constitute powerful tools capable of obtaining great results". It was during talks held in Switzerland in March that both belligerent sides agreed to release 887 prisoners and hold discussions in May to release more detainees.

He said that the discussions were the latest in a series of talks that had resulted in the release of prisoners in 2020 and 2022 under the sidelines of an UN-sponsored pact known as the Stockholm Agreement. According to Fabrizio Carboni, Regional Director, Near and Middle East, ICRC, there is a deep desire that the prisoner exchange gives a shot in the arm to a broader political settlement to the crisis.

Separately, there was yet another round of peace discussions in Sanaa between the Saudi delegation and the Houthis. Reports say that there has to be further talks to iron out differences. Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a representative of the Houthi politburo, has announced that the talks are yielding positive results. Another Houthi leader Abdulmalki Alejri tweeted that "with determination and honest intentions the remaining difficulties can be resolved".

The peacemaker of the Middle East, the Sultanate of Oman led by Sultan Haitham bin Tariq focused on a truce leading to the reopening of the Houthi-controlled ports and Sanaa airport.