The Houthi rebels have released 290 prisoners as part of an agreement with the internationally recognized government of Yemen. This was announced by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The Houthis announced the release of a total of 350 prisoners. The move will be under the supervision of the ICRC and the UN.
The Houthi rebels and the government of President Abed Rabbo Mansur Hadi had agreed in December on the exchange of about 16,000 prisoners. A ceasefire for the important port of Hudaida on the Red Sea was also part of the Uno-mediated talks.
Yemen Commissioner of the UN confident
The UN Yemeni Commissioner Martin Griffiths expressed his hope that all prisoners would be exchanged as agreed. The prisoners and their families would have suffered a lot.
Among those released, according to the ICRC, there were 42 survivors of an attack on a prison-built building in Dhamar, southwestern Yemen. The airstrike in early September saw 134 people killed, according to the ICRC. The military alliance, led by Saudi Arabia and fighting in Yemen against Iran-backed Houthis, had dismissed the responsibility and said it had targeted a military facility.
The Houthi rebels posted on Sunday to show Saudi prisoners after a major offensive in the border area with Saudi Arabia. More than 2,000 fighters from the Saudi-led alliance have been captured and around 500 other fighters killed or injured, Huthi military spokesman Jahia Sari said.
