Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia has been holding informal talks with the Houthis since late September on a ceasefire.
Published: Tue 26 Nov 2019, 9:00 PM
Updated: Thu 19 Dec 2019, 4:17 PM
A Saudi-led military coalition said on Tuesday it had freed 200 prisoners from the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in a step that could further efforts to end the nearly five-year war in Yemen.
In a statement carried on Saudi state media, the coalition said it would ease restrictions on Yemeni air space to allow flights out of the Houthi-held airport in the capital Sanaa, helping evacuate people requiring medical treatment abroad.
Saudi Arabia has been holding informal talks with the Houthis since late September on a ceasefire, sources have said. "The coalition leadership is keen to continue supporting efforts to resolve the crisis in Yemen and to push forward the Stockholm agreement, including the deal related to the exchange of prisoners," spokesman Colonel Turki Al Malki said.
He was referring to a prisoner swap agreed by Yemen's Saudi-backed government and the Houthis last December at peace talks in Sweden that involves thousands of detainees, but which has stalled amid deep mistrust between the warring sides.
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