A Saudi-led military coalition Monday confirmed it had completed a prisoner swap in Yemen, exchanging nine Saudi prisoners for 109 Yemeni nationals, Saudi state news agency SPA said.
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The statement from the Saudis did not confirm which group the deal was conducted with, but Yemen's Ansarullah movement, also known as the Houthis, later confirmed they had exchanged prisoners with Riyadh.
Saudi Arabia received its nationals Sunday, SPA said, marking a first step toward ending a humanitarian crisis in the country.
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The news comes a day after Yemenis marked one year since the beginning of the controversial Saudi operation in the country, which has torn the impoverished nation apart and claimed the lives of almost 7,000 people, half of them civilians according to the United Nations.
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However, Saudi Arabia is looking to end its expensive operation in Yemen as reports suggested rebel leaders and Saudi officials held direct talks in the Saudi capital for ending the conflict.
Last year on March 26, Saudi Arabia along with 10 of its regional allies, and with the blessing of the United States, kicked off a major, indefinite operation in Yemen in a bid to restore the former Saudi-allied President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who was ousted by the Ansarullah rebels.