Yemen government and Houthis agree to free 1,600 detainees

Yemen's government and Houthi rebels have reached a deal to free over 1,600 detainees in the largest swap during Yemen's 11-year civil war.

The agreement was signed Thursday in Amman, Jordan, after 14 weeks of negotiations.

The U.N. and the International Committee of the Red Cross observed the talks.

Abdelkader al-Murtada, a Houthi official, said 1,100 of the detainees are Houthi affiliated.

The swap includes seven Saudis and 20 Sudanese.

U.N. Special Envoy Hans Grundberg said it's the largest release of conflict-related detainees.

Yemen's civil war began in 2014, causing severe economic and food insecurity issues.