🔻Houthi rebels in Yemen: We freed more than 200 of our members

🔻The Houthi rebels in Yemen say that during their recent advances, they have freed more than 200 members of their group. These individuals were being held by forces loyal to the Saudi-backed government.

Abdul Qadir al-Murtada, a Houthi official, told AFP that those people were prisoners of war and had spent about eight years in prison before the group’s swift offensive began toward areas along the border with the Bab al-Mandeb strait.

Speaking at a meeting in Sanaa, he said: “We welcomed our 210 prisoners who were released from the Saudi enemy’s prisons on the western coast.”

Mohammed Fawzi, who had been detained for three months, described his release as “a moment full of indescribable joy.”

In May, the United Nations reported on an agreement between the internationally recognized Yemeni government and the Houthis to exchange more than 1,600 prisoners, but the deal was not carried out.

In April 2023, about 900 prisoners were exchanged between the two sides. This was the largest prisoner exchange since October 2020, during which more than 1,000 people were released.

Before last week’s strategic advances, the Houthis also held control over large parts of northern Yemen, including Sanaa and the port of Hodeidah.