Oman hosts prisoner swap talks between Yemen’s warring rivals

MUSCAT, Oman

Oman hosted on Sunday a new round of UN-sponsored prisoner swap negotiations between Yemen’s government and the Houthi rebel group.

“We are hopeful of achieving positive results” during the talks, government negotiator Majid Fadael told Anadolu.

“Our fundamental demand as a government team is the unconditional release of all prisoners and abductees, without any discrimination,” he added.

He called for including Yemeni political figure Mohamed Qahtan in any prisoner swap deal with the Houthis.

Qahtan is a prominent figure in the Islah Party, Yemen’s largest Islamic party, and one of four individuals listed in UN Security Council Resolution 2216 of 2015, which mandates the release of these individuals by the Houthi group.

He was detained by the Houthis on April 5, 2015, shortly after the group placed him under house arrest. His family remains unaware of his whereabouts or condition.

Since their consultations in Stockholm in 2018, the Yemeni government and the Houthis have presented lists containing over 15,000 prisoners and detainees, although the exact number remains uncertain.

In April 2023, facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN, the two rivals exchanged around 900 detainees after negotiations in Switzerland.

Yemen has seen relative calm since April 2022 in a conflict that began nearly a decade ago between forces loyal to the legitimate government and the Houthi group, which has controlled various provinces and cities, including the capital Sanaa, since 2014.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi