MUSCAT, Oman: Yemen´s Houthis and its internationally-recognised government on Tuesday agreed to a prisoner swap that includes nearly 3,000 people, including seven Saudis -- making it the largest such exchange should it succeed.
The breakthrough deal came after nearly a fortnight of discussions between Yemeni officials from both sides in Muscat, the capital of neighbouring Oman, a key mediator in the conflict that has lasted for over a decade.
Officials gave few details about the next steps, with observers pressing both sides to follow through to bolster peace efforts.
Majed Fadhail, a member of the government delegation for the prisoner swap talks, said they had agreed with the Houthis on a new exchange that would see “thousands” of war prisoners released.
He told AFP that this would be “the largest” such deal, adding that “the exchange of lists and names will take place from now and no later than in one month”.
Abdulqader al-Mortada, a negotiator with the Houthi delegation, said in a statement on X that “we signed an agreement today with the other party to implement a large-scale prisoner exchange deal involving 1,700 of our prisoners in exchange for 1,200 of theirs, including seven Saudis and 23 Sudanese”.
Two of the seven Saudi nationals are air force pilots, Fadhail told AFP, adding that Mohamed Qahtan would also be among the released.
Qahtan, a prominent Sunni Islamist leader aligned with the Saudi government, has been held by the Houthis since 2015.
Mohammed al-Basha of the US-based risk advisory Basha Report told AFP that “while today´s developments represent a constructive step toward confidence-building between the Houthis and the anti-Houthi government coalition, significant challenges remain”.
“Nevertheless, this exchange is still likely to be the largest prisoner of war swap to date,” he added.
Challenges include verifying detainee lists and agreeing on a realistic timeline for the exchange, as well as bitter rivalries and divisions within the government itself, he said.
This month, Yemeni separatists that are part of the government swept through swathes of the country, expelling other government forces and their allies in a move that threatened to further divide the anti-Houthi camp.
International organisations expressed cautious optimism following the announcement of the deal.
