Saudis to Release 200 Houthis, Aiming to Bolster Yemen Peace Push

With airstrikes declining, hope for peace gains momentum

Bolstering hopes that the peace process in Yemen may continue to advance, Saudi Arabia has announced that they intend to release 200 Houthi fighters, a process to be coordinated with the WHO.

The idea is that the WHO will be taking the freed prisoners to the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, and then using a plane to evacuate people who need medical care, but can’t get it in the blockaded city.

All of this is the sort of confidence-building that should help with the largely secretive indirect peace talks that are being facilitated by Oman, and which have as a goal the end of the five year war.

With strikes on the decline in recent weeks, the UN has also expressed hope for momentum behind a peace deal. Though that can change at any moment for any reason, this too seems to be bolstering the chances a deal could be had.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.