Yemen’s internationally recognized government and the Houthi group have agreed to exchange and recover thousands of bodies from both sides of the conflict. The deal, announced by officials from the warring parties, will involve bodies from all frontlines and regions in Yemen. Joint field committees will be established for the agreement’s implementation.
Abdul Qader al-Murtada, the head of the Houthis’ prisoner affairs committee, disclosed the agreement on a social media platform. Hadi Haig, leading the Yemeni government’s prisoner exchange committee, also confirmed the accord. Additionally, a separate deal was reached earlier, involving the release of detainees from both sides.
The recent agreement follows a 12-day meeting in Oman, resulting in the release of Houthi detainees in exchange for government-affiliated detainees, as well as Saudi and Sudanese nationals held by the Houthis. The UN special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, hailed the deal as a positive step towards alleviating the suffering of detainees and their families in Yemen.
Yemen has been embroiled in conflict since 2014 when the Houthis took over the capital, Sanaa. A Saudi-led coalition intervened the following year in support of the internationally recognized government. Despite a UN-mediated truce in 2022 and subsequent ceasefires, tensions have persisted between the warring factions.
The last major detainees swap between the Yemeni government and the Houthi group occurred in 2023, resulting in the release of around 900 detainees. Meanwhile, Yemen’s presidency has strongly denounced statements from officials in Aden supporting the Southern Transitional Council (STC). The presidency warned against using official positions to promote political agendas outside the constitutional framework.
