Yemeni gov't, Houthi rebels exchange 21 prisoners in Marib via local mediation: source

ADEN, Yemen, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Forces loyal to the Yemeni government and the Houthi rebel group exchanged a new batch of 21 prisoners in the country's turbulent province of Marib on Monday, a military official told Xinhua.

The new prisoner swap deal came through a mediation by local tribal chiefs "representing the two-warring sides in Marib and other major cities," the local official said on condition of anonymity.

Yemen's local tribal mediators have more than once succeeded in brokering prisoner exchanges between government forces and the Houthis in different areas of the war-torn Arab country.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.

The Saudi-led coalition intervened in the Yemeni military conflict in March 2015 to support Hadi's government.