Yemeni Houthi Rebels Release Dozens of Supporters of Saleh - Source

23:33 GMT, 3 March 2018

SANAA (Sputnik) - Yemeni Shia Houthi rebels released 69 supporters of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh killed last year by the Houthis, a source in security bodies told Sputnik.

Sputnik

"[The Houthis] released on Saturday 69 military, some of them are high-ranking officers of the Republican Guard and intelligence services," the source said.

The conflict between the Houthis and their former allies — units loyal to Saleh — escalated in late November. On December 4, shortly after reaffirming the end of his alliance with the Houthis, Saleh was killed by the rebels.

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In January, a high-ranking source in the General People's Congress party founded by Saleh told Sputnik that the Houthis and supporters of Saleh decided to open a new page of cooperation to fight against their common enemies. As part of the agreement, the Houthi rebels promised to release the prisoners taken during the clashes with supporters of Saleh.

The situation in Yemen has been extremely unstable since 2015 when a civil war broke out. The war is being waged between the internationally recognized government of President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and the Houthi movement once backed by army units loyal to Saleh. In March 2015, the Saudi-led coalition of mostly Persian Gulf countries launched airstrikes against the Houthis at Hadi's request.