MojNews-The UN's special envoy for Yemen welcomed the release Monday of hundreds of detainees by the country's Houthi  forces.

“I hope this step will lead to further initiatives that will facilitate the exchange of all the conflict-related detainees," Martin Griffiths said in a statement. 

Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when Houthi fighters captured much of the country, including Sanaa. The crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.