Saudi Arabia Releases 40 Houthi Hostages
KABUL: (MEP) Saudi Arabia has reportedly released around 40 Houthi fighters under a deal to quell fighting on the Saudi-Yemeni border as peace talks between the warring sides continue in Kuwait.
A spokesman for Houthi Ansarullah movement, Mohammed Abdulsalam told Reuters that the Kingdom have freed 40 prisoners, 20 of those were captured inside Yemen.
However, he did not elaborate on the location where the remaining prisoners are being held.
The development comes as Houthi fighters and their allies, on the one hand, and Saudi-backed loyalists to ex-president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, on the other side, are holding UN-brokered negotiations aimed at ending the conflict gripping the impoverished state.
The discussions, which started in Kuwait City on April 21 after a three-day delay, are underway against the backdrop of an open-ended ceasefire that began in the conflict-ridden country at midnight on April 10.
Warring parties also began face-to-face negotiations for the first time on April 30.
Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the UN special envoy for Yemen, described the atmosphere of the talks as positive, saying “everyone renewed their commitment to cease hostilities.”
“We are working to develop a framework that builds on commonalities. Does this mean we removed all obstacles to a political solution? No, but we are getting there,” he added.
