Saudi Arabia, Houthis exchange prisoners as Omani officials arrive in Sana’a for talks on ending years of conflict in Yemen.
According to a spokesman for the Yemeni rebel group, Saudi Arabia released more than a dozen Houthi prisoners before a wider release of the prisoners was agreed by the warring factions.
Saturday’s release came as Omani officials arrived in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, as part of international efforts to end Yemen’s years-long conflict.
Abdul-Qader el-Murtaza, a Houthi official in charge of Yemen prisoner exchange talks, said on Twitter that 13 Houthi prisoners had arrived in Sana’a.
He said the prisoners were released in exchange for a Saudi prisoner the Houthis had previously freed.
He did not say when the rebels released the Saudi prisoner.
There was no immediate comment from the Saudi government.
“The detainees released from Saudi jails today are part of the deal agreed by the United Nations, and next Thursday … the deal will be fully implemented,” al-Murtaza said.
He was referring to a UN-brokered deal struck in Switzerland last month that includes the release of 887 prisoners.
The UN special envoy to Yemen said the deal is one of several developments reflecting movement to end the eight-year conflict that has killed tens of thousands and caused one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters.
The conflict in Yemen began in 2014 when the Houthis seized Sanaa and much of the north of the country, toppling the internationally recognized government, which fled south and then went into exile in Saudi Arabia.
The Houthi move prompted a Saudi-led coalition to step in months later to restore the internationally recognized government to power.
The conflict is widely viewed as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
The prisoner’s release came as Saudi and Omani envoys are expected to meet in Sana’a to negotiate a permanent ceasefire deal with Houthi officials, building on an expired UN-brokered ceasefire agreement.
Chief Houthi negotiator Mohammed Abdul Salam, based in Muscat, said on Twitter on Saturday that he had arrived in Sana’a with an Omani delegation.
Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported that a Saudi delegation led by Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed bin Saeed Al-Jaber will visit Sana’a on Sunday, also to speak with the Houthi.
Oman has hosted talks between the Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi Arabia for years.
Those negotiations, which run in parallel with the UN peace effort, have gained momentum in recent weeks after Saudi Arabia reached an agreement with Iran to restore its diplomatic ties after a seven-year hiatus.
The Iran-Saudi deal announced in Beijing on March 10 has boosted hopes of a settlement to the Yemen conflict.