UN envoy for Yemen seeks to build on prisoner exchange to clinch ceasefire

The United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, said he was working to build on the prisoner exchange agreement announced on Sunday to pave the way for a national ceasefire to be followed by a political solution.

Griffiths, in an interview with Reuters after announcing the deal between the internationally-backed Yemeni government and Iran-aligned Houthi movement, said: "Now what we need to do is to make sure the sequences of releases and the timing is agreed promptly here today and tomorrow so that we can then proceed with the logistics."

"Our overall aim at the moment is to bring an agreement on what we call a joint declaration which is a national ceasefire to end the war in Yemen. And accompanied by various measures to open up the ports and airports and roads so that people can start to live a little," he added.