Negotiations begin between the government and the Houthis regarding prisoners and abductees in Muscat

New negotiations to exchange prisoners between the legitimate Yemeni government and the Houthi group were launched in the Omani capital, Muscat, on Sunday, under the supervision of the United Nations.

The spokesman for the government team negotiating the prisoners, Majid Fadail, said, "The negotiations supervised by the United Nations regarding the prisoners and abductees have begun in the Omani capital, Muscat, and we are hopeful that positive results will be achieved."

He added, in a statement reported by Anatolia Agency, "Our basic demand as a government team is the total release of prisoners and abductees without discrimination, on the basis of all for all."

He continued, "We have clear and frank directives from our political leadership regarding this, and that the government delegation must deal with full responsibility and commitment to this humanitarian file, and that the hidden political figure, Muhammad Qahtan, should not be bypassed in any way, so that he is at the head of any exchange deal."

Yesterday, Saturday, the Yemeni government and the Houthi group announced their intention to attend a new round of negotiations to exchange prisoners between the two sides, in the Omani capital, Muscat.

Yesterday, Abdul Qadir Al-Murtada, head of the Houthi team in prisoner negotiations, said in a blog post on the “X” platform: “We arrived in the Omani capital, Muscat, to attend a new round of negotiations on the prisoner file, under the auspices of the United Nations.”

He added: "We hope that it will be a successful round and that a new exchange deal will be agreed upon, and that God will help us resolve this humanitarian issue."

On Friday, Yahya Muhammad Kazman, head of the government negotiating delegation, announced participation in consultations with the Houthis, which will begin on Sunday in the Omani capital, Muscat.

It is noteworthy that the last exchange deal for prisoners and abductees was in April 2023, under which about 900 prisoners and detainees were released from both sides, mediated by the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations, after bilateral negotiations in Switzerland.