Houthi rebels say holding Sudanese soldiers in Yemen

SANAA

Yemen's Houthi rebels on Tuesday claimed to have captured a number of Sudanese soldiers in northwestern Yemen.

Abdelkader Mourtada, a Houthi official responsible for prisoners' affairs, said the soldiers were taken captive in Hajjah province last week, according to Houthi-run Al-Masirah television.

He, however, did not give further details about the incident.

There was no comment from the Sudanese authorities on the claim.

Sudan has deployed forces in Yemen as part of a Saudi-led coalition that has launched a massive air campaign in 2015 against the Shia Houthi rebels, who overran much of Yemen a year earlier.

Tens of thousands of Yemenis are believed to have been killed in the conflict, while another 14 million are at risk of starvation, according to the UN.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara