The Saudi-led Arab coalition announced on Tuesday its success in securing the release of a Saudi prisoner of war, who was detained by the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen.
Coalition spokesman Colonel Turki Al-Maliki confirmed that Private 1st class Mousa Bin Shou’i ‘Awaji had arrived at the King Salman Air Base in Riyadh.
He credited the success of the release to joint efforts by the Joint Forces Command of the Coalition and United Nations envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths.
He revealed that during his detention, Awaji suffered from deteriorating health and the Houthis did not provide him with the necessary medical treatment.
Moreover, Maliki revealed that the coalition agreed to release seven Houthi detainees in exchange for the Saudi prisoner, saying that efforts were underway to end the detention of other prisoners.
He accused the Houthis of stalling in the negotiations process, saying that they had opposed any talks and disregarded humanitarian rights.
“The Houthi militia is still imprisoning thousands of Yemeni people, including political, social and military leaderships. Foremost among them is Major General Mahmoud Al-Subaihi, former Yemeni Minister of Defense, whose immediate and unconditional release was demanded in UN Security Council resolution 2216 (2015),” he said.
