Over 100 military detainees released by the Houthi rebels in Yemen

The Houthi rebels in Yemen, backed by Iran, released over 100 prisoners who were involved in the country’s ongoing war, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The one-sided release happened over a year after both sides in Yemen’s war let go of over 800 prisoners in a big trade in the country in April of last year.

On Sunday morning, the Red Cross said that 113 prisoners were set free in the city of Sanaa, which is controlled by the Houthi group. The Red Cross helped these prisoners while they were held in Sanaa.

“We hope that this will lead to more releases, giving comfort to families who are eagerly waiting to be reunited with their loved ones,” said Daphnee Maret, the ICRC’s head of delegation in Yemen.

The ICRC said that one of the detainees who was sick was taken by ambulance to his hometown in Yemen. They did not give any more details.

Abdul-Qader al-Murtaza, a Houthi official, said that the release was postponed for a day because of logistical issues.

Many people are still thought to be prisoners of war since the fighting started in 2014, and others are also missing. The Red Cross thought the releases on Sunday were a good thing to help start talks about swapping prisoners.

“We are ready to help release, transfer, and send detainees back to their home countries as a neutral middleman,” they said.

Yemen was thrown into a terrible fight when the Houthis came from the north and took control of Sanaa and a lot of northern Yemen, making the government leave the country.

A group of countries led by Saudi Arabia and including the United Arab Emirates got involved in 2015 to help the recognized government of the country. In recent years, the fighting has become like a war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, with both countries supporting different sides in the conflict. Over 150,000 people, including soldiers and regular people, have died in one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters.