Agreement on release of detained kids

The UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, said that a meeting of the committee on prisoner and detainee affairs has led to an agreement on the unconditional release of detained children.

In a statement issued on Sunday night, Cheikh Ahmed said consultations with the representatives of the Yemeni government, Ansarullah movement and the General People's Congress (GPC), dealt with the possibility of releasing a number of prisoners in the coming few days.

According to Kuwaiti News Agency (Kuna), he expressed hope that the possible prisoner swaps will prepare the ground for advancing the UN-brokered peace talks.

Ould Cheikh Ahmed noted that the meetings dealt with the political, economic and humanitarian situations in Yemen, particularly in Taiz city where dozens of casualties fell as a result of an attack with heavy weapons.

He added that the UN aid agencies insist on opening lifelines for the people trapped in the conflict in order to alleviate their suffering.