More than 1,600 prisoners are set to be released in Yemen under a deal between the country's internationally recognised government and the Houthis, the UN announced on Thursday.
The swap includes 1,100 Houthi-linked prisoners in exchange for 580 from the government side, including seven Saudis and 20 Sudanese, Abdulqader Al Mortada, an official with the Houthi delegation, said in a statement on X.
He said implementation of the exchange will be done in co-ordination with the International Committee of the Red Cross, which carried out the release, transfer and repatriation of 900 and 1,000 prisoners in 2020 and 2023, respectively.
The two rivals agreed to release the detainees after 14 weeks of UN-sponsored intensive negotiations in Jordan, said the office of the UN envoy for Yemen.
“This is a moment of profound relief for thousands of Yemenis who have endured long and painful waits for the return of their family members," said the envoy, Hans Grundberg.
"This outcome is a clear demonstration of what sustained and determined negotiations can produce. It proves that when the parties choose to engage in dialogue, they can deliver on the priorities that weigh most heavily on Yemeni families, and build confidence for the wider peace process."
The Amman deal builds on an earlier round of negotiations that was held in Oman in December 2025.
Yahya Kazman, head of the Yemeni government's team in prisoner swap talks, said the agreement forms the first phase of a broader "all-for-all" prisoner exchange deal that was reached in Muscat. The agreement could involve almost 3,000 prisoners in total.
The warring parties agreed to reconvene for another round of negotiations, said Mr Grundberg, including on further prisoner releases and joint visits to one another’s detention facilities.
"I also express my deep solidarity with all those in arbitrary detention and their families, including personnel from the UN, NGOs, civil society and diplomatic missions arbitrarily detained by Ansar Allah," said the UN envoy.
"The United Nations continues with unwavering determination to press for their releases. I hope that today’s positive momentum can help advance the release of our colleagues."
UN staff detained by the Houthis are not part of the exchange. At least 73 UN staff members, as well as personnel from aid organisations, charities and diplomatic missions, remain detained by the Iran-backed group.
Yemen was plunged into civil war after the Houthis seized Sanaa and much of northern Yemen in 2014, forcing the government to move south to the port city of Aden and starting a decade-long conflict. The Yemeni government asked a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in March 2015 in an attempt to reinstate the government.
