After being at war for five years, warring sides in Yemen organized a prisoner exchange for today and tomorrow. The deal was struck in Switzerland about a month ago to exchange a little over 1,000 prisoners.
Conflict in Yemen began after Arab Spring, when they removed their leader at the time, President Saleh. Saleh handed over leadership to Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, who was the vice president. The transition of power failed and violence in Yemen continued to increase. There were more murders, suicide bombings, and food shortages. War began in 2015 once a separatist movement began in the south. The people divided into multiple factions; the Houthis, who are a political Shia rebel group, Hadi loyalists, and Saleh loyalists. Houthis took over the capital, Sanaa, and Hadi was forced to flee to Saudi Arabia. The Saudi government began a military alliance and accused Iran of backing the Houthis. To add on to the violence, militant groups such as ISIL and Al Qaeda took advantage of the instability and increased the violence by destroying infrastructure.
Of course, civilians are the ones in the middle of the violence and receiving most of the backlash. Yemen is currently in a humanitarian crisis due to famine, clean water shortage, and an ongoing cholera outbreak.
Although the war has brought destruction to the country, this prisoner exchange may bring hope for the future. After fighting for 5 years, both sides were able to agree on terms for the swap. This might signify a new willingness for future talks to bring an end to the conflict and rebuilding trust and a stable government.
The meddling of Iran and the Saudis has added on to the political instability in Yemen. Both countries want the side that they are supporting to come out on top, so that they can increase their influence in the region. Yemen’s geographical location gives them a great advantage to trade because of all the ports they have, but they are the poorest country in the region. The coalitions that have been formed and the militant groups that have invaded have only been working in their self-interests while making the humanitarian crisis worse.
The start of the war in Yemen was multi-faceted, and it went from a domestic conflict to an interstate conflict. Violence, poverty, and hunger was only exacerbated once other governments brought in their own political conflicts. Hopefully, this prisoner exchange will be the start of peace, or at least cease-fire talks for Yemen. With a cease-fire, international aid can reach those that need it the most throughout the country.