Yemen's rebel Houthi movement, also known as Ansar Allah, on Monday released 290 detainees, a move that was facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the United Nations, the ICRC said in a statement
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th September, 2019) Yemen's rebel Houthi movement, also known as Ansar Allah, on Monday released 290 detainees, a move that was facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the United Nations, the ICRC said in a statement.Earlier in the day, the head of the National Committee for Prisoners' Affairs, Abdul Qader Murtada, said that the Houthis were going to release 350 captives, including three Saudi nationals, under UN supervision. He noted that the militants were acting in accordance with the Stockholm agreements that were concluded with Yemen's internationally recognized government at the end of last year, and encouraged Riyadh to do the same.
"The unilateral release of 290 detainees, including 42 survivors of an attack on a place of detention in Dhamar this month, took place today," the statement read.
It noted that the ICRC was tasked with confirming the identities of the detainees who were to be released. The organization also provided financial assistance for the transportation of the captives and other expenses, as well as contacted the underage prisoners' families so that they could meet them.
UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths, in turn, welcomed the detainees' release and expressed hope that such a step would create more similar initiatives.
"I welcome the release of detainees by Ansar Allah & hope this will lead to initiatives to facilitate the detainees exchange as per the Stockholm Agreement. I welcome previous steps by GoY [Government of Yemen] & Arab Coalition leading to release #Yemeni minors," Griffiths wrote on Twitter.
Last December, the warring parties attended UN-brokered peace talks in Sweden's capital of Stockholm, and concluded a ceasefire agreement.
The armed conflict in Yemen between government forces, led by President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi, and the Houthis has been ongoing since 2015. The United Nations has repeatedly called the Yemeni conflict the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
