Yemen’s warring sides agree to largest prisoner swap since civil war began

Yemen's internationally recognized government and the Houthi movement agreed on Thursday to release more than 1,600 conflict-related detainees, the Office of the UN Special Envoy for Yemen announced, marking the largest prisoner exchange since the country's civil war erupted over a decade ago.al-monitor+1

The deal was reached after 14 weeks of intensive negotiations in Amman, Jordan, and will be carried out with the International Committee of the Red Cross, which serves as co-chair of a supervisory committee established under the 2018 Stockholm Agreement.osesgy.unmissions+1

What the Deal Includes

Under the agreement, the Houthis will release 580 prisoners, including seven Saudi nationals and 20 Sudanese, while the Yemeni government will release 1,100 Houthi detainees, according to Houthi official Abdulqader al-Mortada, who announced the figures in a post on X. Yahya Kazman, head of the government negotiating delegation, said the deal covers "coalition forces personnel, members of the armed forces and security services, fighters from various military formations and the popular resistance, as well as politicians and journalists who spent years in Houthi detention". South24 reported that the total number of detainees covered is 1,728, citing breakdowns across multiple fronts including the Saudi-Yemeni border, Marib, and Taiz.jpost+2

A Rare Breakthrough

UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg called the agreement "a moment of profound relief for thousands of Yemenis who have endured long and painful waits" for the return of family members. He described the negotiations as having continued "through a period of extraordinary regional complexity" and urged both sides to pursue additional releases, including on a unilateral basis.arabnews+1

The agreement builds on talks held in Muscat, Oman, in December 2025, where the two sides first committed to a large-scale exchange. A previous swap in April 2023 saw nearly 900 prisoners exchanged, until now the largest such operation of the war.aljazeera+2

Next Steps and Remaining Challenges

The ICRC said it has begun logistical preparations and will require full access to all detainees included in the agreement before transfers can begin. It was not immediately clear when releases would start. Both parties also agreed to reconvene for further negotiations on additional releases and to conduct joint visits to each other's detention facilities.south24+3

Grundberg used the occasion to call for the release of UN staff, NGO workers, and civil society members still held by the Houthis, saying the organization "continues with unwavering determination to press for their releases".osesgy.unmissions+1