Yemen's Houthis release 77 pro-govt detainees including patients & elderly

Yemen's Houthi militia released 77 pro-government detainees, authorities said.

In a report, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV quoted Abdulkadir al-Murtada, head of the Houthi prisoner committee, as saying that they included dozens of patients and elderly individuals, reports Xinhua news agency.

He added that the move was made in goodwill towards efforts for a future prisoner swap with the government.

Last week, the Yemeni government and the Houthis exchanged about 900 prisoners as part of a UN-brokered deal reached by the warring sides in March.

Yemen has been embroiled in a deadly civil war since late 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthi group seized control of several northern cities and forced the Saudi-backed government out of the capital, Sanaa.

The war has resulted in tens of thousands of casualties and the imprisonment of thousands more.

--IANS

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