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Saudi Arabia says 109 Yemenis traded for 9 Saudis amid war Saudi Arabia says 109 Yemenis traded for 9 Saudis amid war
(35 minutes later)
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia says a coalition it leads fighting Shiite rebels in Yemen has traded 109 Yemeni prisoners for nine Saudis held there. RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — A military coalition led by Saudi Arabia that is fighting a war with Yemen’s Shiite rebels said Monday that it has traded 109 Yemeni prisoners taken during the fighting in the neighboring country for nine Saudis who were held captive.
The coalition said in a statement carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency on Monday that it made the trade Sunday. It did not explain how the Saudis were detained in Yemen, though it said the Yemenis held had been detained in “areas of operations near the border of Saudi Arabia.” It was the latest prisoner exchange ahead of a scheduled April cease-fire and peace talks.
Saudi-led troops have been battling Shiite rebels known as Houthis for over two years now in support of Yemen’s internationally recognized government. A coalition statement carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency said the trade happened on Sunday, but it did not explain how the Saudis ended up in custody in Yemen. It said the Yemenis held had been detained in “areas of operations near the border of Saudi Arabia.”
More than 6,000 people have been killed in the fighting and millions are displaced in Yemen. Both sides have agreed to a cease-fire at midnight on April 10 ahead of peace talks starting April 18 in Kuwait. The exchange comes as the Saudi-led coalition and Yemeni rebels, known as Houthis, have agreed to a cease-fire at midnight on April 10 ahead of peace talks starting April 18 in Kuwait. Earlier this month, another exchange saw Saudi Arabia release seven Yemenis for one of its soldiers.
In its statement, the coalition said it hoped the tentative calm now in Yemen would allow “aid to reach all Yemeni territories” and would support United Nations’ efforts to end the fighting.
Yemen’s conflict pits the government, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, against the Houthis, allied with a former president. The Houthis took over the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, in September 2014, and the U.S.-backed coalition began airstrikes against them in March 2015.
More than 6,000 people have been killed in fighting, millions are displaced and the Arab world’s poorest country has been pushed to the brink of famine.
In the chaos, a powerful al-Qaida affiliate has seized a large swath of territory across the country’s south and east, while an upstart Islamic State branch has carried out a series of attacks.
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Associated Press writer Maamoun Youssef in Cairo contributed to this report.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.