Coalition, Houthis swap prisoners and agree to border truce

RIYADH — Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have freed a Saudi soldier in return for seven detained Yemenis as part of a tribal-mediated border truce agreed by both sides, the Command of Coalition Forces announced on Wednesday. Yemeni tribal and social figures sought to create a state of calm on the Yemeni border adjacent to the Kingdom to make way for medical and relief supplies to Yemeni villages near the areas of operations, the coalition satement said. Coalition forces responded by allowing aid to flow through the Olab border crossing, said the statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency. Saudi Corporal Jaber Al-Kaabi was handed over to the coalition in exchange for seven Yemenis who were detained by Saudi authorities at the border, it added. The coalition “welcomes the continuity of calm” which would help “reach a UN-brokered political solution,” the statement said. Saudi Arabia has allocated SR1 billion to fulfill the relief and humanitarian needs of the Yemeni people through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRELIEF). The center has signed a contract to establish 300 high quality shelter homes for the Yemeni refugees in Djibouti. It has carried out 50 relief programs for the Yemenis including distribution of food baskets and drinking water for Yemenis in Djibouti, in addition to the provision of health services. It distributed 100,000 food baskets in Taiz and baby milk among families in Dhali province of Yemen. KSRELIEF has spent SR50 million to rescue displaced Yemeni people and transport them to secure places and provide them with essential services.