Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Monday announced a peace initiative to release 350 prisoners including three Saudis, under the supervision of the UN, one day after the group claimed capturing over 2,000 Saudi troops in a major attack targeting the Saudi border town of Najran, according to Al-Masirah channel.
The Houthi National Committee for Prisoners’ Affairs (NCPA) said in a statement, that the 350 prisoners, which will be released, were on the lists of the prisoner exchange deal agreed in Sweden back in December.
The Sweden agreement backed by the UN, aiming for a prisoner swap to ensure releasing detainees of both conflicting sides, stalled as the Houthi rebels and the Yemeni government did not agree on the way of its implementation. However, the head of NCPA, Abdul Qader al-Murtada offered another peace initiative, saying, “Our initiative proves our credibility in implementing the Sweden agreement and we call on the other party to take a comparable step.”
He also added that the release of the 350 prisoners, includes three Saudis who will be sent home under the supervision of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
