Yemen's warring sides swap about 200 prisoners

Yemen’s Ansarullah movement and forces loyal to the Saudi-backed resigned president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, have exchanged nearly 200 prisoners.

According to the reports, local sources said on Sunday that the Hadi loyalists released 118 prisoners, while Ansarullah freed 76 detainees who had been captured during the battle for the southern city of Ta’izz.

The latest exchange has been brokered by local tribesmen and is not related to the UN-brokered peace talks in Kuwait taking place between the warring sides of the conflict.

This is one of the largest prisoner swap deal to take place since March 26, 2015, when the Saudi regime started its deadly campaign against Yemen.

In Kuwait, negotiators have made no significant progress other than a preliminary agreement to release some prisoners. Houthis had earlier announced the release of 187 prisoners. Saudi Arabia said in early June that it had freed 52 children.

UN Special Envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh had pushed the warring parties to release half of all detainees before the holy month of Ramadan.

The UN envoy has also frequently called on the warring parties to “make concessions in order to strike a comprehensive peaceful solution” to the conflict.

The ongoing peace talks on Yemen have failed to establish peace as delegations trade accusations of violation of a ceasefire agreement that took effect on April 11.

SS