RIYADH

The Saudi-led military coalition on Monday began evacuating 50 injured Houthi rebels from Yemen to Oman for treatment, according to Saudi Arabia’s official SPA news agency.

Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said a safe route was being provided upon a request from UN special envoy for Yemen Martin Griffith.

The step comes within the framework of "humanitarian needs and to build confidence between the Yemeni sides as a preamble for Sweden talks," the spokesman said.

"A UN plane will arrive at Sanaa airport to vacate the injured," he added.

The Houthi rebel group and Omani authorities have yet to comment on the statement.

In November, the Saudi-led coalition announced the establishment of safe corridors between Sanaa and Yemen’s western strategic Hudaydah province.

Yemen has been wracked by violence since 2014, when the Houthi rebel group overran much of the country and the crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.

Tens of thousands of people, including civilians, are believed to have been killed and the UN estimates that around 14 million Yemenis are at risk of famine.