SANAA, Nov 27 (NNN-SABA) – Yemen’s Houthi rebels, on Tuesday, welcomed the Saudi-led coalition’s announcement to release 200 Houthi prisoners.
“We welcome the step announced by the Saudi-led coalition today (yesterday),” said Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, deputy head of the Houthi group, in a tweet.
The coalition said, it would allow flights out of the Houthi-held capital Sanaa, to evacuate people in need of medical treatment, in cooperation with WHO.
“The decision aims to further implement the Stockholm Agreement, which includes the exchange of prisoners,” said Turki Al Maliki, the coalition’s spokesman.
The move came, after the Yemeni parties signalled readiness to make concessions for ending the nearly five-year civil war.
On Nov 22, the United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, briefed the UN Security Council on the Yemeni political discussions, highlighting the agreements reached and the reduced airstrikes nationwide, in the past two weeks.
“We call this deescalation, a reduction in the tempo of the war, and perhaps a move towards an overall cease-fire in Yemen,” Griffiths told the UN Security Council.
The Riyadh deal ended months of infighting between the government and southern separatists in Yemen’s port city of Aden, while the cease-fire in the western port city of Hodeidah has been largely holding between the government and Houthi rebels.– NNN-SABA
