Celebrations as Yemen civil war prisoners freed in huge swap

First exchange, of 1,000 people, on flights to and from Saudi Arabia and inside Yemen, after two-year UN/ICRC negotiations

More than 1,000 political prisoners captured during the Yemen civil war began to be released on Thursday in a massive prisoner swap negotiated over the past two years and largely overseen by the UN and International Committee of the Red Cross.

The exchange led to scenes of celebration and triumph inside Yemen. UN diplomats said they hoped the bulk of the swap would be completed over the next two days.