Landmark prisoner swap agreed in between Yemen's rebels, government
Landmark prisoner swap agreed in between Yemen's rebels, government
A prisoner swap involving almost 2000 people has been agreed between Houthis and government loyalists in Yemen.
1 min read
Houthi rebels and their allies control most of Yemen's north and west (Getty)
Houthi rebels in Sanaa and government loyalists in Taiz, have reached an a prisoner swap agreement involving almost 2000 people, according to a document seen by The New Arab.
The exchange deal will be implemented in stages to insure success, and includes the release of 1,200 detainees from Taiz province, including prisoners from the national army and popular resistance forces, loyal to President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi.
Taiz resistance forces will release 250 Houthi-affiliated prisoners, and confirm the whereabouts of 600 disappeared Houthi supporters.
According to the agreement document, signed by both side, the Houthis also committed not to arrest any citizens from the province of Taiz on political grounds.
Last week, the Houthis released a batch of prisoners affiliated to slain ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh and a number of activists, including Hesham al-Omeisy.
The Houthi rebels and their allies control most of Yemen's north and west, while forces loyal to the President, backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition, control the south and east.
More than 10,000 people - most of them civilians - have been killed in Yemen's war since the March 2015 military intervention of the coalition.
The United Nations says seven million people face serious risk of famine in the Arabian Peninsula nation unless international donors intervene.
More In News
