Yemen's gov't, Houthi militants swap 21 prisoners in Marib over local conciliation

(MENAFN) A military official said to Xinhua that on Monday, Apr. 26 forces loyal to Yemen's administration and the Houthi rebel outfit swapped a fresh batch of 21 prisoners in the nation's unstable province of Marib. The local official stated on condition of remaining anonymous that the fresh prisoner exchange agreement came over a conciliation by local tribal chiefs "representing the two-warring sides in Marib and other major cities." The Yemeni local tribal mediators have more than once managed to broker prisoner swaps between administration forces and the Houthi militants in several areas of the war-torn nation. Yemen has been caught up in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-supported Houthi militants controlled a number of northern provinces and obligated the Saudi-supported administration of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.