Yemen’s Houthi rebels release 153 prisoners of war

Release comes two days after group detained seven UN workers

A Houthi rebel fighter escorts prisoners loyal to the Yemeni government at a site in Sanaa. EPA

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Yemen’s Houthi rebels freed 153 prisoners of war on Saturday, the Red Cross said. It is one of several moves in recent days to ease tensions after the ceasefire in Gaza.

Earlier prisoner releases had been regarded as a way to boost talks aimed at securing a permanent end to Yemen's decade-long civil war, which began when the Houthis seized the country's capital in 2014.

Saturday's release comes two days after the Iran-backed rebels detained seven Yemeni workers from the UN.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said it “welcomes this unilateral release as another positive step towards reviving negotiations”.

“This operation has brought much-needed relief and joy to families who have been anxiously waiting for the return of their loved ones,” said Christine Cipolla, the ICRC’s head of delegation in Yemen. “We know that many other families are also waiting for their chance to be reunited. We hope that today’s release will lead to many more moments like this.”

Abdul Qader Al Murtada, head of the Houthis' Committee for Prisoners’ Affairs, said in a statement carried by Houthi media that those released were "humanitarian cases that included the sick, wounded and the elderly".

“The goal of the initiative is to build trust and establish a new phase of serious and honest dealing,” Mr Al Murtada said.

The Red Cross has helped to oversee other prisoner releases between Yemen's warring factions, including when 1,000 prisoners were swapped in 2020, more than 800 were exchanged in 2023 and another release took place in 2024.

A prisoner held by the Houthis waits with his fellows for his release in Sanaa on Saturday. Reuters

After the Gaza ceasefire took hold last weekend, the rebels said they would limit their attacks on ships in the Red Sea and released the 25-member crew of the Galaxy Leader, a ship they seized in November 2023.

The Houthis’ attacks on shipping during the Gaza war have helped deflect attention from their problems at home. But the rebels have faced casualties and damage from US-led air strikes for months now, as well as strikes by Israel.

The civil war in Yemen has killed more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians, and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters. Yemen's economy is in tatters, which has placed increasing pressure on the Houthis and others in the conflict to negotiate an end to the war. A de facto ceasefire has largely held for several years now even during the Houthis' attacks over the Gaza conflict.

Yet, the Houthis still conduct raids. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Friday demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the seven workers, as well as all other UN employees held by the Houthis, some since 2021.

“The continued targeting of UN personnel and its partners negatively impacts our ability to assist millions of people in need in Yemen,” he said in a statement. “The Houthis must deliver on their previous commitments and act in the best interests of the Yemeni people and the overall efforts to achieve peace in Yemen.”

The UN has halted work in Yemen, where it provides food, medicine and other aid to the impoverished nation.

US President Donald Trump has moved to reinstate a terrorism designation he made on the Houthis late in his first term that had been revoked by former president Joe Biden, which may renew tensions with the rebels.

Analysts have linked the latest UN detentions to that decision, although the Houthis have not yet commented.