Saudi soldiers taken captive by Houthi rebels will be repatriated soon, a senior Yemeni official has said. Speaking to Okaz by phone, the official said the Yemen government is exerting all efforts on the issue. He said the committees formed after the declaration of a truce between the government and the rebels are working to repatriate the Saudi soldiers. Muhammad Bin Ali Al-Ahwal, the Yemeni Ambassador to the Kingdom, said senior-level contacts are under way between Yemen and Saudi Arabia over the repatriation issue. However, the official denied any direct contact between the Kingdom and Houthi rebels. “There are no talks with the Houthis directly or through any mediator,” the ambassador said stressing that only the Yemeni government is communicating with the Houthis in this regard. The ambassador said the six-point ceasefire conditions accepted by the Houthis and declared last week included finalization of the dossiers of Saudi war prisoners as requested by Sana'a. Prince Khaled Bin Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, Assistant Minister of Defense and Aviation for Security Affairs, recently said four Saudi soldiers went missing during skirmishes with the Yemeni infiltrators. The fate of the fifth soldier is still shrouded in mystery, he said.
