SANAA -- Yemen's Houthis released on Monday 290 prisoners, the International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement.

"The unilateral release of 290 detainees, including 42 survivors of an attack on a place of detention in Dhamar this month, took place today," ICRC said.

"The release was facilitated by the ICRC and the United Nations following a request from the National Committee for Prisoners Affairs," it said.

"We are always ready to act as a neutral facilitator in the release of detainees when we receive a request from the parties to the conflict and hope that this operation opens the door to further releases to bring comfort to families awaiting reunification with their loved ones," said Franz Rauchenstein, the ICRC's head of delegation in Yemen.