A tentative agreement between the Yemeni regime and the Houthi Ansarullah movement and their allies to exchange prisoners appears to have fallen through, a source close to ongoing peace talks in Kuwait has told Anadolu Agency.
In a statement Thursday, UN envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said the need to exchange prisoners was "humanitarian issue" that should not be "held hostage to political considerations".
Ould Cheikh went on to urge both parties to the conflict to "depoliticize" the prisoners issue.
The mediator said that a special committee for prisoners -- drawn up as part of the ongoing talks in Kuwait -- had discussed proposals for carrying out a prisoner swap before the upcoming Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
On Wednesday, Ould Cheikh had urged both parties to "do their patriotic duty by supporting the peace process by helping reunite families [whose members had been detained] before Ramadan".
"Political bargaining should not come at the expense of these prisoners," he asserted.
"Those being held captive [by both pro-Hadi forces and the Houthis] should be returned to their families as soon as possible," he added.
The UN envoy welcomed a token prisoner swap carried out Wednesday in the Yemeni city of Taiz, expressing hope that all those detained during the conflict would also soon be released.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by Website Team
