Ahead of the release, ICRC delegates conducted pre-departure interviews with each detainee, informed their families of the imminent release and offered assistance to support their dignified return home. ICRC medical staff also assessed the detainees’ health, determined their fitness for road travel and arranged individual travel support for those with additional needs.

The release was initiated by the National Committee for Prisoners Affairs and does not fall under the Stockholm Agreement. The ICRC did not play any role in determining who or how many people would be released.

The ICRC remains ready, at the request of the parties, to act as a neutral intermediary in facilitating or supporting future releases, transfers and repatriations of people detained in connection with the conflict in Yemen, as it has done in previous years.