Yemen's rival factions on Monday agreed to a prisoner exchange deal in the hope of ending the war by reviving the country's stalled peace negotiations.
Talks are taking place between the government and Houthi rebels in Switzerland, chaired by UN envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Majed Fadail, Yemen's Deputy Minister for Human Rights and member of the government's prisoner swap committee, told The National a deal had been confirmed.
It will involve the Iran-backed Houthis releasing, among others, 15 Saudi Arabian soldiers and three Sudanese soldiers in exchange for more than 700 detainees from the government side, Mr Fadail said.
This stage will be followed by other releases, he added.
“The deal includes four journalists who are sentenced to death, a number of military and civilian leaders, and dozens of prisoners of the Arab coalition,” Mr Fadail said.
Those to be released by the Houthis include former Yemeni minister of defence, Maj Gen Mahmoud Al Subaihi, Maj Gen Nasser Mansour, the sons of Lt Gen Ali Mohsen, and the sons of the Vice Chairman of the Command Council, Brig Gen Tariq Saleh, he said.
The White House on Monday said "887 detainees related to the war will be released by all sides".
"The United States welcomes today’s announcement in Geneva of a major prisoner exchange agreement by the parties to the Yemen conflict," US National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said.
Ms Watson thanked Mr Grundberg and the Red Cross for their work.
The Houthi head of the negotiations, Abdul Kader Al Mortadha, said the exchange would take place three weeks from now.
“Seven hundred and six of our prisoners will be exchanged for 181 prisoners from the other side, including Saudis and Sudanese,” he said.
The Houthi official said another round of negotiations would be held after the end of Ramadan to complete the agreement.
“This is a crucial step that will end the suffering of many separated families and help build confidence between the parties that we hope will lead to further release operations,” said Daphnée Maret, ICRC’s head of delegation in Yemen.
“The ICRC stands ready to continue to play the role of neutral intermediary and to facilitate purely humanitarian visits in places of detention, contribute to the re-establishment of family links, and support the release, transfer and repatriation of conflict-related detainees so that thousands more can return to their families.”
The meeting in the Swiss city of Bern, which started last week, is the seventh aimed at finding a deal on prisoner exchanges initially agreed on in Sweden five years ago.
Under that deal, the sides had agreed “to release all prisoners, detainees, missing persons, arbitrarily detained and forcibly disappeared persons, and those under house arrest”, held in connection with the conflict, “without any exceptions or conditions”.
"I join hundreds of Yemeni families in looking forward to the swift and smooth implementation of the releases. And I hope there will be an end soon to the suffering of all Yemenis who are still waiting to be reunited with their loved ones and who are pained by uncertainty about the fates of those dearest to them,” said Mr Grunberg,
“The United Nations remains ready and eager to facilitate progress towards releasing all conflict-related detainees. And I encourage the parties to take initiatives to release additional detainees on a unilateral and ongoing basis.”
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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Quarter-final
UAE v Australia, Friday, 8pm, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
