Houthis to Release Prisoners If All Parties to Yemeni Conflict Do Same

The Houthi rebels group, the main opposition faction in Yemen, is ready to release people they took prisoners provided the other parties to the conflict in the country do the same, a source in the movement told Sputnik on Tuesday.

CAIRO (Sputnik) — In Yemen, the Houthi militia group is battling government forces, local tribes and al-Qaeda militants. The Houthis are supported by army units loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. In March, a Saudi-led Arab coalition begin carrying out airstrikes against Houthi positions in the country at current Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi's request.

"Probably, certain steps will be taken to confirm the good intentions regarding the peace process, for example, prisoners will be released. But there are prisoners on each and every conflicting side, so, everyone must be released, not only those detained by Houthis," the source said.

On Sunday, Hadi's government agreed to hold talks with Houthis and supporters of Saleh. The talks will be reportedly backed by the United Nations, which believes the talks may start in late October.

The Houthi source underscored that the process of negotiation was of primary importance "as long as the parties have the will to achieve peace."

The charitable organization Oxfam estimates that at least 2,500 civilians, including over 500 children, have been killed since March 2015 in clashes between troops loyal to Hadi and Houthis.