ALBAWABA- Yemeni parties representing the internationally recognized government and the Houthi movement reached a major agreement on Tuesday to release approximately 3,000 conflict-related prisoners, including the leader of the Yemeni Islah Party, Muhammad Qahtan, as well as Saudi and Sudanese detainees.
The breakthrough came at the conclusion of a twelve-day meeting in Oman, held under the framework of the Supervisory Committee on the Implementation of the Detainees’ Release Agreement.
The committee, co-chaired by the United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), convened its tenth session to advance commitments under the Stockholm Agreement aimed at freeing conflict-related detainees.
Sheikh Hadi Haig, head of the Yemeni government delegation, and Abdul Qader Al-Murtadha, leading the Ansar Allah (Houthi) delegation, played central roles in finalizing the accord.
UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg welcomed the agreement, highlighting its humanitarian significance. “Reaching an agreement over another phase of the release of conflict-related detainees is a positive and meaningful step that will hopefully ease the suffering of detainees and their families across Yemen,” he said.
Grundberg also expressed appreciation to the Sultanate of Oman for hosting the meeting and supporting the release process.
The UN emphasized that the agreement’s success will depend on continued cooperation between the parties, coordinated regional support, and sustained efforts to expand the initiative to further releases.
The Office of the Special Envoy reaffirmed its commitment to facilitating the implementation of the Detainees’ Exchange Agreement in accordance with humanitarian principles.
The prisoner release deal comes amid rising tensions in southern regions of Yemen, where the UAE-backed separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC), aligned with the anti-Houthi, internationally recognized government, has been consolidating control and pushing for greater autonomy.
Some ministers and officials within the government have voiced support for the STC’s actions, highlighting the continued influence of Yemen’s government-in-exile, which has existed for over a decade. In practice, however, the Houthis and separatists remain the dominant forces on the ground, perpetuating divisions in the Yemeni conflict that have persisted for 11 years.
The latest agreement is a rare glimpse of hope for genuine reconciliation, offering a potential pathway to end the conflict and curb external interference, particularly the competing influences of the UAE and Saudi Arabia, that continue to threaten Yemen’s unity and sovereignty.
