Yemen rebels free 9 Saudis for 109 Yemenis: Coalition

Riyadh - The prisoner swap is the latest confidence-building measure in the lead-up to a planned ceasefire and peace negotiations.

Rebels who control the Yemeni capital Sanaa have released nine Saudis in exchange for 109 Yemenis, the Saudi-led coalition fighting them said Monday, ahead of planned peace talks next month.
"Nine Saudi prisoners have been recovered and 109 Yemenis who were arrested in the military operations zone" near the border have been handed over, the coalition said in a statement.
The prisoner swap is the latest confidence-building measure in the lead-up to a planned ceasefire and peace negotiations next month.
UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed announced last week that the combatants have agreed to a ceasefire from midnight on April 10, to be followed by peace talks in Kuwait on April 18.
The UN says about 6,300 people have been killed in the conflict, more than half of them civilians.

• Saudi Arabia
• MENA