Yemeni official: Saudi Arabia handed over 54 child soldiers captured in fighting with Houthis

Saudi Arabia has handed over 54 child prisoners to the Yemeni government who had fought with Houthi rebels last year, a Yemeni official said on Monday.

The source, who asked not to be identified, said, “The Yemeni government received 54 child prisoners, including two Africans, from Saudi Arabia.”

The source told Anadolu news agency that the government will rehabilitate the children before releasing them, noting that the government will issue a statement later with details about the rebel’s involvement in the recruitment of child soldiers.

The Yemeni Minister of Human Rights Ezzedine Al- Asbahi announced earlier on Monday that the Yemeni government had released two child soldiers.

“The recruitment of children is a crime committed by Houthi militia and Saleh forces and should not be tolerated. We do not allow children to remain combatants or prisoners,” he said on his official Twitter account.

The UN envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed announced in a statement on Monday that Yemen’s warring rivals had agreed to unconditionally release all child prisoners.

On Monday, the UN announced that it had temporarily removed the Saudi-led coalition from its child rights blacklist pending a joint review by the world body.