Yemen sides agree to release over 1,600 detainees in the largest swap of 11-year war

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Yemen’s internationally recognized government and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Thursday reached a deal to free over 1,600 detainees in the largest swap during Yemen’s 11-year civil war.

The deal was signed in Amman, Jordan, after 14 weeks of negotiations, with U.N. officials and the International Committee of the Red Cross present as observers.

Abdelkader al-Murtada, the Houthi head of the National Committee for Prisoners’ Affairs, who was involved in the talks, said that 1,100 of the almost 1,700 detainees are Houthi affiliated, while seven Saudis and 20 Sudanese are among the 580 detainees that will be released by the other side.

The head of the government delegation, Yahya Kazman, said in a post on X that a “number of politicians and media professionals” held by the Houthis will also be released. He did not give details.

U.N. Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said the deal covered the largest release of “conflict-related detainees.” The ICRC in a statement said both sides agreed on the identities of the detainees to be released, and added that the Geneva-based organization is ready to facilitate their repatriation.

It was not immediately clear when the release will start.

The agreement builds on negotiations held in Oman in December 2025, Grundberg said. Both sides at the time discussed the release of 2,900 detainees.

Yemen plunged into civil war in 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and much of northern Yemen and forced the government into exile. A Saudi-led coalition, including the United Arab Emirates, intervened the following year in an attempt to restore the government to power.

The conflict has pushed the economy to the brink of collapse and caused “severe” food insecurity in northern provinces, according to the World Food Program.

___

Chehayeb reported from Beirut.