Saudi-led coalition says 16 Saudis, 3 Sudanese freed by Yemen rebels

By Anadolu Staff

SANAA, Yemen (AA) – The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen on Saturday confirmed the release of 16 Saudis and three Sudanese by Houthi rebels as part of a prisoner swap.

In a statement, coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said the freed prisoners had arrived at King Khalid International Airport north of Riyadh.

He said 250 Houthi prisoners had also been flown from Abha airport in Saudi Arabia to the Yemeni capital Sanaa as part of the exchange.

"This exchange is of very great importance for the political and military leaders of the coalition who want to close the prisoner file and recover all the detainees," al-Maliki added.

The coalition spokesman hailed efforts of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, for the implementation of the prisoner swap deal.

The ICRC said early Saturday that 120 Houthi detainees had been flown from Saudi Arabia to Sanaa.

On Friday, the Yemeni government said the first phase of a prisoner exchange was accomplished during which 320 prisoners from both sides were released.

On March 20, the Yemeni government announced an agreement with the Houthi group to release 887 prisoners and abductees from both sides, at the conclusion of consultations held in Switzerland.

Last year, the Yemeni government and Houthi rebels signed a UN-brokered deal to free 2,000 prisoners, but their release was disrupted amid mutual accusations of violations of the agreement.

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