The head of the Houthi Prisoner Affairs Committee, Abdul Qader al-Murtada, said on X that the delay was caused by “technical reasons”.

Al-Murtada said on Friday that the group would release more than 100 prisoners in what he called “a unilateral humanitarian initiative”.

The Houthis, an Iran-aligned movement that controls part of Yemen, last released prisoners in April 2023 in an exchange of 250 rebels for 70 government forces.

Yemen has been embroiled in years of civil war that has killed tens of thousands of people and left millions hungry.

The Houthis are the de facto authorities in northern Yemen, while the internationally recognised government is represented by the Political Leadership Council, which was formed under Saudi auspices last year and took over power from Yemen’s president-in-exile.