Yemeni gov’t says prisoner swap talks with Houthi rebels have concluded

By Mohammed Sameai and Zeynep Hilal Karyagdi Duran

AMMAN (AA) - The Yemeni government announced Sunday that prisoner exchange negotiations with the Houthi rebels in Jordan’s capital have ended and the Houthis have agreed to release prominent politician Mohammed Qahtan, who they have held since 2015.

The talks in Amman, which were under the auspices of the UN, have drawn to a close, Majed Fadhail, a member of the government’s delegation, told Anadolu.

Noting that the Houthis agreed to release Qahtan in a future prisoner exchange, he said new sessions will be held after the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday near the end of this month on the details of the exchange.

Qahtan, a leading politician from the al-Islah Party, was detained by the Houthis in 2015. There has been no news about him since then.

On June 16, representatives of the conflicting parties in Yemen met in Jordan to negotiate a prisoner exchange.

The Iran-backed Houthis have been in control of the capital Sana’a and some regions since September 2014.

Coalition forces led by Saudi Arabia have been supporting the Yemeni government against the Houthis since March 2015.

Yemenis are hopeful for a resolution to the country's crisis and conflicts following an April 6 agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia which marked the resumption of their relations after seven years.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar