UN hails Yemeni parties' accord to set free child prisoners

The UN special envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, and the UN special representative for children and armed conflict, Leila Zerrougui, have welcomed an agreement by the Yemeni parties to release all children who are prisoners, a UN spokesman told reporters here Monday.

"The special envoy said that the unconditional release of children was agreed by the parties and the mechanics of the release of detainees in the coming days was addressed," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here.

The Houthi group and Yemen's government in exile reached a peace agreement in negotiations aimed at ending the war that has killed at least 6,200 people and caused a humanitarian crisis in the war-torn country.

It remains unknown how many child prisoners are being held, but reports said that the Houthis and the government submitted in late May a list of almost 7,000 names of prisoners they say are being held by the other side.

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported that 900 children have been killed and 1,300 wounded during the conflict in 2015.

The fragile security situation in Yemen has deteriorated since March 2015, when a civil war broke between the Shiite Houthi group, supported by former President Ali Abdullash Saleh, and the government backed by a Saudi-led coalition. Endit