Yemen.. Negotiations for the release of prisoners begin in Geneva. And Houthi escalation in the fronts of Marib and the coast

The seventh round of prisoner and abductee exchange negotiations between the Yemeni government and the Houthi militias, under the auspices of the United Nations, began on Saturday in the Swiss capital, Geneva, amid optimism in the Yemeni street that this round will lead to the release of large numbers of prisoners.

The office of the UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, said in a press statement: "The seventh meeting of the supervisory committee for the implementation of the agreement on the exchange of detainees held by the Yemeni parties began on Saturday in Geneva, chaired by a committee from the Office of the UN Special Envoy to Yemen, and with the participation of a delegation from the International Committee of the Red Cross."

The UN envoy hopes that the Yemeni parties will be ready to engage in serious and frank discussions to agree on the release of as many detainees as possible, as the month of Ramadan approaches, and urged the parties to fulfill what they agreed to commit to each other, as well as to the thousands of Yemeni families who are long awaited for the return of their loved ones.

The committee was formed in 2018 to support the parties to the conflict in fulfilling their obligations under the Stockholm Agreement regarding "the release of all prisoners, detainees, missing, arbitrarily detained and forcibly disappeared persons under house arrest for reasons related to the conflict in Yemen without any exceptions or conditions," the statement said.

The last round of negotiations between the two sides was in March 2022, in which it was agreed to exchange more than 2200,<> prisoners from both sides, under the auspices of the United Nations, but it was not implemented.

In January 2023, the Deputy UN Envoy to Yemen, Muin Shreim, discussed with the Houthi militias in Sana'a moving the prisoners' file and working to push for the implementation of the recent agreement, and stressed at the time that the coming weeks will witness a real breakthrough in this humanitarian file.

Regarding the talks to return to the truce and reach a comprehensive peace agreement in Yemen, Yemeni political sources expected that the next few days will witness major developments in the rest of the humanitarian file, which began with the current Geneva meeting on prisoners.

She explained that the Yemeni parties reached understandings on expanding flights to Sanaa airport, opening the port of Hodeidah to new shipping lines and goods, as well as paying the salaries of employees, and opening main roads and crossings between Yemeni cities.

She pointed out that the Yemeni file will witness a major solution in the coming weeks, as a real reflection of the improvement of the situation in the region in light of the agreement to resume relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which will enhance the reduction of tension and help solve a number of crises in the region.

The Yemeni government affirmed its sincere belief in dialogue and resolving differences through diplomatic and peaceful means, as well as the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries, and supports any serious and sincere approach that carries good intentions to achieve security and stability in the region.

"The Yemeni government hopes that the agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran will constitute a new phase of relations in the region, starting with Iran's cessation of interference in Yemeni affairs, and that its approval of this agreement will not be a result of the internal situation and the international pressures it faces," the official Saba news agency quoted a statement by the Yemeni Foreign Ministry.

"The position of the Yemeni government is based on actions and practices, not words and allegations, and therefore it will continue to deal cautiously."

On the ground, the air defenses of the Yemeni army shot down two drones launched by the Houthi militias towards the army's positions on the eastern Balaq front, south of Marib, bringing the number to 5 Houthi booby-trapped drones that were shot down during the past four days on the Marib fronts.

Field sources said that the drone attacks coincided with the Houthi militias' attempt to advance towards the army positions in the sandy axis, which were confronted, and inflicted heavy losses on the Houthis, noting that the militias are trying to impose a new reality on the ground before reaching any peace agreement.

The joint forces in the fronts of Harib Marib district thwarted a Houthi attack towards their positions in Jabal Bouara, west of the district, south of Marib, the second in less than a month targeting the area, in which the militias suffered heavy losses.

On the western coast, the military media of the joint forces reported the outbreak of confrontations with heavy weapons between the joint Yemeni forces and the Houthi militias, in response to the Houthis' shelling of residential villages in Al-Jarrah district, south of Hodeidah.

According to the centre, the joint forces were able to put out the sources of militia fire and inflict losses in equipment and lives.

In Taiz, Houthi elements stationed in the Central Security Camp, "Bareed Al-Rawda neighborhood", shelled with machine guns and sniper weapons, causing panic and terror among civilians, trapping them in their homes.