Freed Houthi prisoners ride a bus as they arrive at the airport in Sanaa
SANAA, Nov 29 (NNN-Xinhua) — A total of 200 Houthi prisoners who had been freed by the Saudi-led coalition arrived on Thursday in Yemen’s capital Sanaa.
The freed prisoners were transported from Saudi Arabia by planes belonging to the International Committee of the Red Cross, and were received by hundreds of their relatives at Sanaa airport.
On Tuesday, Turki Al Maliki, the coalition spokesman, said the coalition’s unilateral move “aims to further implement the Stockholm Agreement which includes the exchange of prisoners.”
The Stockholm deal was reached between the Yemeni government and Houthi rebels in December 2018 as the first phase toward a comprehensive political solution.
In his briefing to the UN Security Council on Friday, the UN Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths highlighted the de-escalation between the Yemeni warring parties and their readiness to make concessions for ending the nearly five-year civil war in Yemen.
The war has killed tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, displaced over 3 million others and pushed the impoverished Arab country to the brink of famine.
The Saudi-led military coalition intervened in the Yemeni conflict in 2015 to support the internationally-recognised government of Pres Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. — NNN-XINHUA
