Houthis say ready to swap all prisoners with Yemeni government

7/6/2025 7:28

Yemen's Houthi group announced on Friday its readiness to exchange all prisoners with the Yemeni government, a significant proposal put forward by the group since the outbreak of the civil war in late 2014.



The Houthi-run Saba news agency cited a statement by Abdul Qader al-Murtada, head of the Houthis' committee for prisoners' affairs, as saying that the group is prepared to carry out "a full exchange process that includes all prisoners from all parties without exception."



Al-Murtada called on the Saudi government to pressure the Yemeni government "to respond to the initiative without preconditions."



The internationally recognized Yemeni government is yet to comment.



The Yemeni government and the Houthi group implemented a UN-mediated major prisoner swap in 2023, exchanging around 900 prisoners. Another major exchange took place in 2020, with approximately 1,000 prisoners and detainees released from both sides.