Saudi-led coalition in Yemen frees 104 Houthi rebels

SANAA, Yemen

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen on Monday released 104 Houthi prisoners, a day after the completion of a prisoner swap between the Yemeni government and rebels.

"The coalition has concluded the release of 104 Houthi prisoners in coordination with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)," coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said in a statement.

He said the move aims to support efforts aimed at stabilizing the truce in war-torn Yemen and to create a favorable atmosphere for dialogue between the Yemeni parties.

"This initiative comes as an extension to previous humanitarian initiatives led by the kingdom," he added.

The ICRC confirmed the release of the Houthi prisoners by the Saudi-led coalition.

"Today, ICRC is facilitating the unilateral release of 104 former [Houthi] detainees from Abha in Saudi Arabia to Sanaa & Aden in Yemen,” it said.

On Sunday, the Yemeni government and Houthi rebels completed the exchange of nearly 900 prisoners.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar