The Houthi group announced Wednesday evening its readiness to engage in a comprehensive prisoner exchange deal with the Yemeni government.
The announcement came during a meeting between Abdul Qader Al-Murtada, head of the Houthi prisoner affairs committee, and UN envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg, according to the Houthi-run version of the Saba News Agency.
The two sides discussed "ways to advance the prisoner exchange file, particularly implementing the agreement reached in Switzerland last year, which involves the release of 1,400 prisoners from each side," it said.
Al-Murtada, according to the news agency, indicated that the group is "prepared to participate in new rounds of negotiations leading to a deal that includes all prisoners, based on the principle of 'all for all.'"
There was no immediate comment from the Yemeni government regarding Al-Murtada's remarks.
In November last year, the International Committee of the Red Cross called for new prisoner release operations in Yemen.
In July, the Yemeni government and the Houthi group concluded consultations in Muscat, agreeing to exchange prisoner lists and resume negotiations two months later.
However, prisoner exchange talks have yet to resume, amid mutual accusations between the two parties of hindering progress in this humanitarian issue.
The government and the Houthis carried out the most recent prisoner exchange in April 2023, releasing around 900 prisoners and detainees from both sides, with mediation from the International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN following negotiations in Switzerland.
The exact number of prisoners and detainees held by each side is currently unknown, but during consultations in Stockholm in 2018, both the government and the Houthis submitted lists containing more than 15,000 names.
