Amman (South24 Center)

The United Nations announced on Thursday (May 14) that Yemen’s internationally recognized government and the Houthis had reached an agreement in the Jordanian capital, Amman, to release 1,728 detainees and forcibly disappeared persons from both sides, marking the largest prisoner exchange deal since the outbreak of the Yemeni war.

The agreement followed 14 weeks of UN-sponsored negotiations held in Amman under the framework of the Supervisory Committee tasked with implementing the Detainees Exchange Agreement stemming from the 2018 Stockholm Agreement.

UN Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg described the agreement as a “moment of great relief” for thousands of Yemeni families awaiting the return of their relatives, stressing that the deal demonstrates the ability of serious negotiations to address humanitarian priorities and build trust between the parties.

The Office of the UN Special Envoy said the parties also agreed to continue discussions regarding additional releases, conduct joint visits to detention facilities, and facilitate access to all detainees.

Grundberg also renewed calls for the release of UN staff, NGO workers, civil society activists, and members of diplomatic missions detained by the Houthis, emphasizing that the UN continues to press for their release.

According to details published by Yahya Kazman, head of the government negotiating delegation, the agreement includes the release of approximately 1,728 detainees from both sides as a first phase within broader efforts aimed at releasing all detainees, abductees, and forcibly disappeared persons.

According to Kazman, the deal covers several fronts and regions.

On the Saudi-Yemeni border front, 27 members of the Arab Coalition, including pilots, will be released in exchange for 245 Houthi detainees.

On the Marib and Taiz fronts, 363 detainees affiliated with government forces will be released in exchange for 450 detainees held by the Houthis from the same fronts.

In Aden, 160 detainees held by the Houthis will be released in exchange for 201 detainees for the Houthi side.

Meanwhile, on the West Coast front, 95 detainees affiliated with government-aligned forces will be released in exchange for 186 detainees from the Houthi side.

The agreement also includes seven Saudi prisoners and 20 Sudanese prisoners, according to Abdulqader al-Murtada, head of the Houthi-affiliated Prisoners’ Affairs Committee, who confirmed that the final lists had been signed in Amman.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which co-chairs the supervisory committee alongside the UN, said it had begun logistical preparations necessary for the transfer, release, and repatriation of detainees.

In a development that sparked additional controversy, local media reports and social media posts circulated claims that individuals convicted in the assassination case of Southern military commander Major General Thabet Mathna Jawas may be included in the current exchange deal or in future phases of the process.

Jawas was killed along with several of his escorts in a car bombing in northern Aden on March 23, 2022. In November 2024, the Specialized Criminal Court in Aden sentenced four defendants to death in connection with the case, including the wanted security commander Amjad Khaled, while a fifth defendant received a 10-year prison sentence.

South24 Center was unable to independently verify whether the convicted individuals are included in the current deal. In response to an inquiry by South24, Majed Fadael, a member of the government negotiating team on detainees, said he did not have sufficient information regarding the specific names involved. However, he noted that “whether in this phase or future phases, all those detained in relation to the events from all parties will eventually be released”, in what appeared to be an indication that such cases may be included in current or future exchange arrangements.

South24 also contacted the Office of the UN Special Envoy for Yemen seeking comment or clarification regarding the matter, but had not received a response by the time of publication.

The issue carries particular political and security sensitivity, as the Houthis have never officially claimed responsibility for the assassination of Jawas. However, confessions aired by Aden Security forces following the attack indicated that the operation was carried out with Houthi backing through the wanted commander Amjad Khaled.

Jawas was considered one of the most prominent Southern military commanders who fought the Houthis during the six Saada wars between 2004 and 2010. His name is closely associated with the military campaign that resulted in the killing of Hussein Badr al-Din al-Houthi, founder of the Houthi movement and brother of current Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi.

The detainees’ file remains one of the most sensitive and complex humanitarian issues in the Yemeni conflict, amid continuing human rights accusations against the Houthis involving arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, torture, and death sentences issued against civilians and humanitarian workers.