Houthis Release Two Saudi Nationals in Their Custody

The Saudi state news agency reported on Friday that two Saudi religious teachers, who had been held captive by the Houthis in Yemen for over nine months, have been released and returned to their country. The two individuals arrived in Riyadh via Djibouti on Thursday evening. The Saudi ambassador to Yemen and Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the UN special envoy for the Yemen crisis, accompanied them upon their arrival in Riyadh. The two religious teachers were traveling to their workplace in the Comoros Islands and intended to change their flight at Sana'a Airport, but flights were disrupted due to the start of airstrikes by the Saudi-led military coalition on March 26, 2015. They sought refuge at the hotel housing the UN representation in Sana'a, but were detained by Houthi militants and remained in captivity until they were handed over to the UN special envoy on Thursday. Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed met with Houthi officials and politicians loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who is now allied with the Houthis, during his five-day visit to Sana'a. The UN special envoy stated that during his stay in Sana'a, the Houthis took positive steps, including the release of Abdul Razak Al-Ashoul, the Minister of Technical Education, and a member of the Islamist 'Islah' party. Additionally, four other prisoners, including a journalist and a political activist, were released. The UN special envoy added that the Houthis assured him regarding the status of three senior Yemeni government officials who are still in captivity: Mohammed Sabihi, the Minister of Defense, Nasser Mansour Hadi, the brother of the Yemeni president, and General Faisal Rajab. The Houthis detained these individuals just before the start of the Saudi-led military coalition's airstrikes. The release of these three individuals and the end of the siege of the city of Taiz are among the conditions set by the government of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi for initiating a new round of negotiations with the Houthis. The UN special envoy hoped to reach an agreement on the date for the start of a new round of negotiations during his visit to Sana'a, but he stated upon leaving that no such agreement had been reached. The Saudi-led military coalition began its airstrikes in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government to push back the Houthis in the spring of 2015. Over 5,800 people have been killed in the ongoing battles in Yemen. The UN states that about 80% of Yemen's population is in need of humanitarian assistance in some form. Before leaving Sana'a, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said, 'To ensure that humanitarian aid actually reaches those in need, a UN delegation will go to the city of Taiz in southwestern Yemen in the coming days.' Local aid organizations and sources close to the Yemeni government report that Houthi militants have seized food shipments and are distributing them in areas under their control. The 600,000 residents of Taiz, which has long been besieged by Houthi militants, are facing severe food shortages, and many have had to traverse difficult mountainous routes to bring essential goods into the city. On Friday, the World Health Organization announced that trucks carrying medicine for six hospitals in Taiz have been stuck at the city's gate for four weeks without being allowed to proceed. A regional official from the organization stated, 'The lack of access to these medicines will impact the health of 250,000 people in the city.' He called on all parties involved to create conditions for the safe transfer of medicines and other humanitarian aid to the city of Taiz.