Saudi Arabia has released over a dozen war prisoners to their rivals, the Houthi rebels in Yemen as part of international efforts to end Yemen’s years-long conflict. On Saturday, Saudi and Omani delegations arrived in the Yemeni capital Sanaa to hold talks with the head of Yemen’s Houthi Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat. According to a report by the Houthi-run news agency Saba, the delegations and Mashat would discuss lifting the siege with all its repercussions, an end to aggression, and the restoration of the Yemeni people’s rights, including paying the salaries of all state employees from oil and gas revenue.
The Huthis seized the capital Sanaa in 2014, triggering the conflict with the government which has been backed for eight years by a military coalition led by regional heavyweight Riyadh. Nearly a decade of war in Yemen has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, both directly and indirectly, and triggered what the United Nations has called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. The rapprochement between the two great regional rivals, Shiite-majority Iran and mainly Sunni Saudi Arabia, has fuelled hopes of reduced tensions in the Middle East, particularly in Yemen.
The release of war prisoners by Saudi Arabia came as Omani officials arrived in the Yemeni capital. The delegations and Mashat are expected to discuss ways to end the years-long conflict and restore peace in the region. The talks will focus on lifting the siege with all its repercussions, an end to aggression, and the restoration of the Yemeni people’s rights, including paying the salaries of all state employees from oil and gas revenue.
Majid Alam is a Senior Sub Editor at News18.com who has reported stories on politics, policy, environment, and health. He loves to combine data and multiple perspectives to create insightful stories.
