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Yemen's Houthis free detained minister, 4 pro-govt activists: UN envoy

Xinhua, January 15, 2016 Adjust font size:

Yemen's Shiite Houthi dominant group on Thursday released a detained minister and four pro-government political activists, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, United Nations envoy to Yemen, said after he concluded a four-day visit to Sanaa to push for resuming peace talks to end over nine months of civil war.

"Houthis released Technical Education Minister Abdul Razak Ashwal and four political and media activists," Ould Cheikh Ahmed said at a press conference in Sanaa airport.

And for other top officials, including detained defence minister, General Mahmoud al-Subaihi, who remain key demand of the government of internationally recognized President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, the UN envoy said he received assurances of their good health.

Ould Cheikh Ahmed also said "no date has yet been agreed upon by the Yemeni warring sides to begin next round of peace talks."

The UN envoy arrived in the capital Sanaa, which is under control of Houthi fighters since September 2014, on Sunday to negotiate Houthi group and their ally former President Ali Abdullah Saleh for sitting in the next round peace talks table.

Yemen has been mired in an all-out civil war since September 2014, when the Shiite Houthi group, backed by forces loyal to the former president, invaded Sanaa and drove President Hadi into exile. The war has killed nearly 6,000 people.

The warring forces held their latest talks in Switzerland in December, but failed to reach a political solution and only agreed to resume talks on Jan. 14.

The Saudi-backed Yemeni government, led by President Hadi, announced Saturday that the next round of peace talks would most probably be postponed to the end of January.

The move came after the former pro-rebel president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, said he would not negotiate with Hadi's government, vowing to "continue fighting to expel Saudi-led coalition forces from the Yemeni territories." Endit