The head of pro-Houthis National Committee for Prisoners Affairs, Abdul Qadir Al-Murtadha, confirmed on Saturday that Saudi Arabia has prevented a prisoner exchange through local mediation that would have included 250 prisoners from both sides in Taiz.
“We agreed with the other party in Taiz on a prisoner exchange that includes 250 prisoners and detainees from both sides, and all the necessary arrangements for implementing the deal were completed in the middle of last Ramadan [mid-April], but unfortunately this deal is still suspended due to Saudi Arabia preventing its implementation, alongside with several other exchanges form different fronts,” Al-Murtadha explained in a tweet.
The Head of the Prisoners Committee indicated on June 6 that new Saudi directives to its sponsored-forces stipulated the suspension of all exchanges agreed through local mediation, which led to the suspension of seven exchanges on several fronts, including more than 400 prisoners from both sides.
