SW News: At least 78 people were killed and dozens injured at a school stampede in the Yemeni capital Sanaa during the distribution of Ramadan alms. Social media videos of the incident in the city's Bab-al-Yemen neighborhood depict a chaotic scene. Hundreds of people reportedly crammed into the school to receive donations, which averaged about $9 per person, according to the Reuters news agency.

Houthi rebels have controlled the city since they overthrew the government in 2015. The interior ministry reported that those in charge of the distribution have been taken into custody and an inquiry is ongoing.

The conflict, which is commonly perceived as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, has claimed the lives of more than 150,000 people. Three-quarters of Yemen's population, or more than 23 million people, are in need of relief. Yemen's official government is now in Aden, while President Abdrabbuh Hadi is based in Saudi Arabia.

The incident took place in the closing days of Ramadan, a holy month for Muslims that includes a period of fasting. A significant prisoner exchange between the warring parties in Yemen began last week, which is thought to be part of increased efforts to put an end to the bloody eight-year conflict.

The Houthi Supreme Revolutionary Committee's Mohamed Ali al-Houthi attributed Wednesday's stampede to the nation's humanitarian catastrophe.
He stated on Twitter that "we hold the countries of aggression accountable for what transpired and for the bitter reality that the Yemeni people live in because of the aggression and blockade."

Following simultaneous prisoner exchanges between Yemen's warring groups, Saudi Arabia has permitted the repatriation of over 100 inmates. The release of the prisoners was an independent decision, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross and a coalition led by Saudi Arabia.

At a Security Council meeting on Monday, UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg said that despite recent encouraging progress, permanent peace requires all sides to fulfill their obligations. Grundberg claimed that in eight years, he had not witnessed a more significant opportunity to advance the conflict's resolution.

Meanwhile addressing the faithful gathered in St Peter's Square for his weekly General Audience, Pope Francis called for prayers for Yemen, “a land that has been wounded for many years by a terrible, forgotten war, which has caused so many deaths and still causes so many people to suffer, especially children.”