Yemen: Saudi-led coalition frees Houthi rebels

An armed Yemeni during a rally in support of Houthi rebels in Sanaa on December 19, 2018. © AFP/Mohammed HUWAIS

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The military coalition led by Saudi Arabia, which supports the local government in Yemen against the Houthi rebels, announced on Friday May 6 the release of insurgents, as part of an initiative described as " 

 ". 

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A first plane carrying

" 

 " took off for Yemen, the official Saudi agency SPA reported, citing the military coalition, on Friday (May 6th).

Saudi TV channel Al-Ekhbariya announced this shortly after the flight landed in Aden, southern Yemen, with 40 prisoners on board.

A total of "a 

 " will board three planes chartered by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Friday, ICRC spokesman Bachir told AFP. Omar.

The three flights will all take off from Abha airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia, he said, adding that all the passengers are Yemenis detained in connection with the conflict that has ravaged Yemen since then. seven years.

The coalition said the passengers were bound for Aden and Sanaa, the rebel-held capital.

At the end of April, the coalition had announced its intention to release 163 Houthi prisoners, in order to support

.

The Saudi-led coalition has been operating in Yemen since 2015 alongside government forces to counter the Houthi offensive, backed by Iran.

Besides the capital, the rebels also control most of the north of the poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula.

Since 2014, Yemen has been the scene of a war that has caused the

, the majority of them linked to hunger, disease and lack of drinking water, according to the UN.

Millions more have been displaced.

► To read also: War in Yemen: abandoned, the population again plunged into horror

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• Yemen

• Saudi Arabia