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Yemen's Houthi rebels release six Saudi 'prisoners of war'
Yemen's Houthi rebels release six Saudi 'prisoners of war'
There are hopes that Yemen's warring parties could soon end a bloody civil war.
2 min read
The Houthis released six Saudi prisoners of war on Wednesday [Getty]
Yemen's Houthi rebels have released six Saudi prisoners of war, officials said on Wednesday, in a sign of improved relations between the two sides.
The six men were flown out of Yemen to Riyadh on Wednesday in an operation overseen by the International Committee of the Red Cross, AFP reported.
It follows the repatriation of 128 Houthi rebels who were detained in Saudi Arabia back to Yemen in November.
"We are happy to see a momentum occurring with the release of detainees that has been happening on both sides," said Freya Raddi, ICRC's deputy head of delegation in Yemen.
"Today is important as six more families will be reunited. It is a special moment when this happens, and we are honoured to be part of it."
The Saudi-led coalition confirmed the release of the six "prisoners of war" who arrived at Riyadh's King Salman airbase on Wednesday.
The Houthis said they were waiting for the coalition to reciprocate by releasing "our prisoners".
The release of the prisoners come as tensions between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, who took over much of the country in 2015, were eased.
A senior Saudi official in Riyadh recently said it had an "open channel" with the Iran-backed rebels.
Saudi Arabia's intervention with airstrikes and a ground force in 2016, led to a spike in civilian deaths, with at least 13,000 killed during the war.
The six men were flown out of Yemen to Riyadh on Wednesday in an operation overseen by the International Committee of the Red Cross, AFP reported.
It follows the repatriation of 128 Houthi rebels who were detained in Saudi Arabia back to Yemen in November.
"We are happy to see a momentum occurring with the release of detainees that has been happening on both sides," said Freya Raddi, ICRC's deputy head of delegation in Yemen.
"Today is important as six more families will be reunited. It is a special moment when this happens, and we are honoured to be part of it."
The Saudi-led coalition confirmed the release of the six "prisoners of war" who arrived at Riyadh's King Salman airbase on Wednesday.
The Houthis said they were waiting for the coalition to reciprocate by releasing "our prisoners".
The release of the prisoners come as tensions between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, who took over much of the country in 2015, were eased.
A senior Saudi official in Riyadh recently said it had an "open channel" with the Iran-backed rebels.
Saudi Arabia's intervention with airstrikes and a ground force in 2016, led to a spike in civilian deaths, with at least 13,000 killed during the war.
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