The Yemeni government has called upon the Ansar Allah group, also known as the Houthis, to engage in new negotiations regarding the prisoner exchange program, aiming for a comprehensive swap based on the “all-for-all” principle as per the Stockholm Agreement reached in late 2018.
The government announced that the unilateral initiative previously proposed by the group primarily involved civilians.
Muammar Al-Eryani, Yemen’s Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism, stated on the “X” platform that if the Houthis are serious about progressing in the prisoner issue, they must join the negotiations earnestly and in good faith to fully realize the prisoner and detainee exchange, as stipulated by the Stockholm Agreement.
Al-Eryani criticized the group for failing to attend three rounds of talks despite prior agreements and completed logistical arrangements.
He also demanded that the Houthis disclose the fate of Mohammed Qahtan, a prominent figure in the Yemeni Reform Party and one of the four individuals under a UN Security Council decision.
The Yemeni official accused the Houthis of launching what he called a “unilateral initiative” to release civilian detainees not listed for exchange, labeling it a new falsehood aimed at whitewashing their criminal record and misleading both local and international communities.
The minister accused Ansar Allah of abducting thousands of civilians from streets, checkpoints, homes, mosques, markets, and workplaces, and of holding them incommunicado for years without charges, only to release a limited number as part of supposed “unilateral humanitarian initiatives.”
Al-Eryani urged the international community, the United Nations (UN), and human rights organizations not to be deceived by the Houthis’ tricks and falsehoods.
He called for condemnation of the systematic crimes of kidnapping and enforced disappearances as grave violations of international and humanitarian law.
He advocated for real pressure on the Houthis to make genuine progress in this matter and alleviate the suffering of the prisoners, detainees, and their families.
This appeal follows the announcement by the International Committee of the Red Cross supporting an initiative by Ansar Allah to release 113 Yemeni army prisoners last Friday, viewing it as a positive step towards reviving stalled negotiations between the group and the Yemeni government on the prisoner issue.
The ICRC expressed readiness to facilitate the release and repatriation of detainees whenever the parties to the Stockholm Agreement reengage in these efforts.
