Yemeni army hands over 31 children recruited by coalition to ICRC

SANAA, Aug. 19 (YPA) – The Defense Ministry in Sanaa handed over on Sunday a total of 31 child soldiers the officials said they have been arrested, during battles with Saudi-led coalition forces, to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

The 31 minor soldiers have been recruited and sent to the fighting fronts by the coalition forces in several areas, according to the Defense Ministry.

In a press conference held at the Ministry of Human Rights in the capital Sanaa, Chief of the Supreme Revolutionary Committee, Mohammed al-Houthi, stressed the need to release the minor prisoners and return them to their families.

Al-Houthi urged the minor prisoners’ families to maintain their children from being misled or dragged to the frontlines, calling on the local authorities to cooperate with the families in this regard.

For her part, Minister of Human Rights, Alia Abdullatif, explained that the 31 minor prisoners were received by the ministry and handed over to the ICRC in the presence of representatives from UNICEF.

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