Nearly 3,000 prisoners, including Saudi pilots, to be exchanged in a deal brokered by Oman, marking a significant step in the long-running conflict.
MUSCAT: Yemen’s Houthi rebels and the internationally recognised government have agreed to a major prisoner exchange involving nearly 3,000 people.
The deal includes the release of 1,700 Houthi prisoners in return for 1,200 government detainees, according to officials from both sides.
Houthi negotiator Abdulqader al-Mortada confirmed the agreement on social media platform X.
He stated the swap includes seven Saudi nationals and 23 Sudanese.
A member of the government delegation, Majed Fadhail, told AFP that two of the Saudis are air force pilots.
The agreement also includes the release of prominent Sunni Islamist leader Mohamed Qahtan, held by the Houthis since 2015.
The breakthrough followed nearly two weeks of talks in Muscat, with Oman acting as a key mediator.
No timeline or specific details were provided for when the exchange will take place.
United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg welcomed the agreement as a positive step.
He said its effective implementation will require continued engagement from all parties.
The Houthis control the capital Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, home to most of the population.
The internationally recognised government holds much of the south.
The conflict, which pits the Iran-backed Houthis against a Saudi-led coalition, has been effectively frozen since a 2022 ceasefire.
That truce has held despite officially expiring, though formal peace talks have stalled.
The war has killed hundreds of thousands of people directly and indirectly since 2015.
A previous prisoner swap in April 2023 saw nearly 900 detainees released following a reconciliation deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
