News brief
Yemen sides agree to release over 1,600 detainees in the largest swap of 11-year war.
Yemen鈥檚 government and Houthi rebels have reached a deal to free over 1,600 detainees in the largest swap during Yemen鈥檚 11-year civil war. The agreement was signed Thursday in Amman, Jordan, after 14 weeks of negotiations. The U.N. and the International Committee of the Red Cross observed the talks. Abdelkader al-Murtada, a Houthi official, said 1,100 of the detainees are Houthi affiliated. The swap includes seven Saudis and 20 Sudanese. U.N. Special Envoy Hans Grundberg said it鈥檚 the largest release of conflict-related detainees. Yemen鈥檚 civil war began in 2014, causing severe economic and food insecurity issues.
