Arab coalition begins Houthi prisoners' transfer from Saudi Arabia to Yemen

Move comes as part of Saudi humanitarian initiative

SANAA, Yemen (AA) - The Saudi-led Arab coalition said on Friday that a plane carrying Houthi prisoners took off from Saudi Arabia to Yemen.

The Saudi Press Agency quoted the coalition's statement as saying "the first plane transporting Houthi prisoners to Yemen has left the Kingdom as part of the Saudi humanitarian initiative."

"Three phases of transporting prisoners by airplanes to Sanaa and Aden will be completed today," it added.

The Houthi rebel group and the Yemeni government have yet to comment on the coalition's statement.

On April 1, UN envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg announced a "long overdue" two-month truce between Yemen’s warring rivals, under which all offensive military air, ground, and maritime operations were halted.

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

According to the UN, the conflict has created one of the world's worst man-made humanitarian crises.

* Writing by Bassel Barakat in Ankara.

Kaynak:

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