Houthi rebels arrive in Jordan for UN-sponsored prisoner swap talks

Sanaa, Jan 24 (IANS) Yemen's Houthi militia announced the arrival of its delegation in Jordan's capital Amman for UN-sponsored talks with the Yemeni government on exchange of prisoners.Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported on Saturday that the new round of talks is due to begin within days.The office of UN Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths has made no comment yet on the development, Xinhua news agency reported.There was also no comment yet from the Yemeni government.In October 2020, the Yemeni government and the Houthi rebels released a total of 1,056 prisoners from both sides, the largest UN-sponsored exchange deal between them since the outbreak of a civil war in the impoverished Arab country.Yemen has been mired in the civil war since late 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.
--IANS ksk/