UN welcomes Houthi release of prisoners

Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Monday released hundreds of detained Yemeni nationals in a unilateral move welcomed by the United Nations envoy, who said he hoped that it could spark greater progress on a prisoner exchange deal outlined in peace talks in Stockholm last year.

The operation, facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), resulted in the release of 290 Yemenis from Houthi-controlled Sanaa to their homes.

“We are always ready to act as a neutral facilitator in the release of detainees when we receive a request from the parties to the conflict and hope that this operation opens the door to further releases to bring comfort to families awaiting reunification with their loved ones,” ICRC’s head of delegation in Yemen, Franz Rauchenstein, said in a statement.