Yemen's Houthis release 290 prisoners: ICRC

Yemen's Houthi group released on Monday 290 prisoners, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said in a statement.

A Houthi rebel fighter holds a weapon during a gathering aimed at mobilizing more fighters for the Houthi movement, in Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, August 1, 2019. [File Photo: IC]

"The unilateral release of 290 detainees, including 42 survivors of an attack on a place of detention in Dhamar this month, took place today," ICRC said.

"The release was facilitated by the ICRC and the United Nations following a request from the National Committee for Prisoners Affairs," it said.

"We are always ready to act as a neutral facilitator in the release of detainees when we receive a request from the parties to the conflict and hope that this operation opens the door to further releases to bring comfort to families awaiting reunification with their loved ones," said Franz Rauchenstein, the ICRC's head of delegation in Yemen.

"The ICRC's role in this operation was, first, to confirm the identities of the detainees foreseen to be released and verify if they wished to travel straight from Sanaa to their homes or if they wished to be transferred to an area under the control of the other party," it added.

Meanwhile, the UN envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths welcomed the move in a brief statement.

"I welcome the release of detainees by the Houthis and hope this will lead to initiatives to facilitate the detainees exchange as per the Stockholm Agreement. I welcome previous steps by the Yemeni government and Arab Coalition leading to release Yemeni minors," Griffiths said.

Earlier on the day, the Houthis said they would release 350 prisoners on Monday, including three Saudis, under the UN supervision.

The Houthis urged the Yemeni government and the Saudi-led coalition to carry out the same step.

The Houthi militias and the Yemeni government agreed to exchange around 7,000 war prisoners in December 2018 as part of the UN-sponsored Stockholm deal but they have since failed to implement it.

Saudi Arabia has been leading an Arab military coalition against Iran-allied Houthis in Yemen for more than four years in support of the exiled internationally-recognized government of Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.