The UN envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, on Thursday hailed efforts by the country’s warring parties to implement one of the biggest prisoner exchanges of its kind in the world.
Yemen’s internationally recognised government and Houthi rebels agreed last month to exchange 1,061 detainees as part of UN-led efforts to end the five-year conflict.
“This is an extraordinary number to be released during conduct of hostilities. Indeed, some say, it may well be the largest such operation of this kind in the history of prisoner release,” Mr Griffiths told the UN Security Council.
“Since this morning, the skies of Yemen have seen an airlift of hope,” he said shortly after the operation commenced.
The UN envoy, who brokered peace talks in Sweden two years ago, said thousands of other men were still detained and an agreement must be made to release them.
“We will soon convene the parties to discuss more releases, in line with the commitment they made in Stockholm in December 2018 to release all conflict-related prisoners and detainees,” he said.
Mr Griffiths also called on the warring sides to "unconditionally and immediately release all arbitrarily detained civilians, including journalists and political prisoners".
Planes carrying prisoners left Sanaa, the Houthi-held capital, and Sayoun Airport in government-held Hadramawt province on Thursday morning.
The International Committee for the Red Cross, which is overseeing the swap, said its teams were present as the operation began.
"We saw the joy and happiness of fathers, husbands and brothers returning home. Each individual family reunification is a positive step; taken as a whole, we hope this operation allows the sides to come one step closer to a resolution that could end the suffering endured by so many in this conflict," Fabrizio Carboni, the ICRC regional director for Near and Middle East, told The National.
Mr Carboni said the ICRC was hopeful that more detainee releases may take place.
"This positive and hopeful operation today builds confidence, which may very well lead to more such releases in the future, and perhaps even lead to renewed peace talks," he said.
In total two planes left Abha in Saudi Arabia for Sanaa. In Yemen, three flights left Sanaa, two internal fights to Seyoun and one to Riyadh, and two flights carried detainees from Seyoun to Sanaa, said Ruth Hetherington, an ICRC spokesperson.
"In total, seven flights took place on five planes, and more than 700 detainees were released during the first day's more than 12-hour long operation," Ms Hetherington told The National.
The exchange is expected to continue on Friday with the release of hundreds of other prisoners.
Mr Griffiths said early Thursday that the prisoner swap was "another sign that peaceful dialogue can deliver".
"I hope the parties will soon reconvene under UN auspices to discuss the release of all conflict-related prisoners and detainees."
Yemen’s warring parties agreed to a prisoner swap during 2018 peace talks in Sweden that would allow for the eventual exchange of 15,000 people. It was hailed as a breakthrough in a conflict that has caused the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
Sporadic prisoner swaps have taken place since then.
The prisoner swap was part of several confidence-building measures to pave the way for talks to end the civil war.
A government official told The National that technical difficulties occurred before Thursday's exchange began, raising concerns that it might not proceed.
“We had fears that the operation will not go through and we were not fully assured until everything was complete because the Houthis have no guarantor and take no responsibility or liability for their actions,” Majed Fadhil, Yemen’s deputy human rights minister and member of the government’s prisoner swap committee, said.
The committee convened in Geneva in September and reached a deal to swap 1,081 detainees.
The rebels released 400 government prisoners on Thursday, including 15 Saudi and four Sudanese citizens.
The Saudi-backed government freed 681 Houthi fighters, a member of the government delegation said.
The prisoner swap came a day after two Americans and the remains of a third who died while being held captive by the rebels were released in exchange for the return of about 250 Houthi men from Oman.
For months Mr Griffiths has been pushing all sides to agree to a ceasefire deal that would pave the way for broader talks to end the war.
The conflict erupted in late 2014 when the Houthis seized Sanaa and much of the country’s north.
A Saudi-led Arab Coalition intervened the following year in an effort to restore the government of President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi to power.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
PSA DUBAI WORLD SERIES FINALS LINE-UP
Men’s:
Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY)
Ali Farag (EGY)
Simon Rosner (GER)
Tarek Momen (EGY)
Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL)
Gregory Gaultier (FRA)
Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
Nick Matthew (ENG)
Women's:
Nour El Sherbini (EGY)
Raneem El Welily (EGY)
Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
Laura Massaro (ENG)
Joelle King (NZE)
Camille Serme (FRA)
Nouran Gohar (EGY)
Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
The low down on MPS
What is myofascial pain syndrome?
Myofascial pain syndrome refers to pain and inflammation in the body’s soft tissue. MPS is a chronic condition that affects the fascia (connective tissue that covers the muscles, which develops knots, also known as trigger points).
What are trigger points?
Trigger points are irritable knots in the soft tissue that covers muscle tissue. Through injury or overuse, muscle fibres contract as a reactive and protective measure, creating tension in the form of hard and, palpable nodules. Overuse and sustained posture are the main culprits in developing trigger points.
What is myofascial or trigger-point release?
Releasing these nodules requires a hands-on technique that involves applying gentle sustained pressure to release muscular shortness and tightness. This eliminates restrictions in connective tissue in orderto restore motion and alleviate pain. Therapy balls have proven effective at causing enough commotion in the tissue, prompting the release of these hard knots.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Where to apply
Applicants should send their completed applications - CV, covering letter, sample(s) of your work, letter of recommendation - to Nick March, Assistant Editor in Chief at The National and UAE programme administrator for the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism, by 5pm on April 30, 2020.
Please send applications to nmarch@thenational.ae and please mark the subject line as “Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism (UAE programme application)”.
The local advisory board will consider all applications and will interview a short list of candidates in Abu Dhabi in June 2020. Successful candidates will be informed before July 30, 2020.
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