Yemen's Warring Parties Agree to Major Prisoner Swap, Boosting Peace Hopes

Yemen’s internationally recognised government and the Houthi group have agreed to a large-scale prisoner exchange involving thousands of detainees, the United Nations announced Tuesday. The deal, brokered after nearly two weeks of talks in Muscat, Oman, marks a significant confidence-building measure in the decade-long conflict and offers a rare glimmer of hope for separated families.

A "Positive and Meaningful Step"

In a statement on December 23, 2025, UN envoy Hans Grundberg described the agreement as a “positive and meaningful step.” He said it would help ease the suffering of detainees and their families across Yemen. However, Grundberg cautioned that its “effective implementation will require the continued engagement and cooperation of the parties.” This underscores the fragility of the process, where the positive effect of the deal depends entirely on the follow-through from both sides.

The Numbers Game: Details of the Deal

While both parties confirmed the deal, they offered slightly different figures on its scope. A Houthi official, Abdulqader al-Mortada, stated the agreement involved releasing 1,700 of their prisoners in exchange for 1,200 from the government's side. According to his statement, this latter group includes seven Saudi and 23 Sudanese nationals.

In contrast, a member of the government delegation, Majed Fadhail, told the AFP news agency that the exchange would free “thousands” of prisoners. Fadhail confirmed that two of the seven Saudi nationals are air force pilots, highlighting the regional dimension of the conflict, which has heavily involved a Saudi Arabia-led coalition.

A Glimmer of Hope Amid a Catastrophe

The war in Yemen, which began in 2014, has created what the UN has repeatedly called one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and devastated the country's infrastructure. According to UN figures, nearly 20 million people depend on aid to survive, while close to five million remain internally displaced. While the fighting has been largely frozen since a truce in 2022, this prisoner exchange is one of the most significant diplomatic breakthroughs since.