Yemen’s rivals to swap prisoners on Thursday

SANAA, Yemen

The Yemeni government and Houthi rebels will swap prisoners on Thursday, according to Yemeni officials.

A government source said that the prisoners will be exchanged in a number of Yemeni provinces.

“The government is fully ready to implement this anticipated deal,” the source added on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Yemeni negotiator Majid Fada’el, for his part, told the Saudi-run Al-Hadath TV that arrangements with the Houthi group have been finalized.

“The prisoner swap will take place on Thursday,” he confirmed.

There was no confirmation yet from the Houthi group.

Last year, the Yemeni government and Houthi rebels signed an UN-brokered deal to free 2,000 prisoners, but their release was disrupted amid mutual accusations of violations of the agreement.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar