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Sunday, July 14, 2024

Saudi-led coalition releases further Yemen battle prisoners



DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A Saudi-led navy coalition on Monday freed 104 extra prisoners captured in Yemen’s battle, a unilateral launch that adopted an organized prisoner swap amid renewed diplomatic efforts to halt the battle.

The Worldwide Committee of the Crimson Cross stated it flew two flights carrying a complete of 96 launched detainees from Saudi Arabia’s Abha Worldwide Airport to Sanaa, Yemen’s capital that has been held for years by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. One other flight carried eight freed prisoners from Abha to Aden, a port metropolis held by forces allied to the Saudi-led coalition.

An announcement from Brig. Gen. Turki al-Maliki, a spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, acknowledged the discharge of 104 Houthi detainees.

A U.N.-brokered deal noticed the discharge of over 700 detained Houthis, and greater than 180 different prisoners, together with Saudi and Sudanese troops combating with the Saudi-led coalition. That three-day operation was overseen by the Crimson Cross and ended on Sunday.

The prisoner releases come because the Houthis and Saudi Arabia say they’ve made progress in negotiations to revive an expired cease-fire and embark on talks to settle the battle. Monday’s launch was to assist these efforts, the dominion stated.

Hans Grundberg, the U.N. envoy for Yemen, stated Monday that “We have now not seen such a critical alternative for making progress in direction of ending the battle in eight years. However the tide might nonetheless flip until the events take bolder steps towards peace.”

“Many points of the truce proceed to be carried out past its lifespan,” Grundberg stated. “Yemen is experiencing the longest interval of relative calm but on this ruinous battle. … Nevertheless, this isn’t sufficient.”

In response to the state-run Saudi Press Company, al-Maliki stated it was a part of “efforts to stabilize the cease-fire and create an environment of dialogue between the Yemeni events to achieve a complete and sustainable political answer that ends the Yemeni disaster.”

The Houthis say either side will proceed their talks after Eid al-Fitr, the vacation later this week that marks the tip of the Islamic holy fasting month of Ramadan.

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