UN secures renewed pledges on Yemen prisoner swap after setback
SANAA – UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said on Saturday he had received renewed commitments from Yemen’s internationally-recognised government and the Houthi movement to implement a landmark prisoner exchange agreement, a day after both sides postponed the operation and blamed each other for the delay.
Grundberg said the parties had reaffirmed over the past 48 hours their commitment to fully implementing the agreement reached in May to release more than 1,600 conflict-related detainees, urging them to complete the remaining technical and operational arrangements as quickly as possible.
“I have received renewed assurances from both the Government of Yemen and Ansar Allah regarding their commitment to the full implementation of the May 2026 agreement,” Grundberg said in a statement posted on X, adding that both sides had confirmed they would intensify efforts to finalise the outstanding procedures.
The statement followed Friday’s announcement by the government and the Houthis that they were postponing the exchange, which had been scheduled for Saturday, with each side accusing the other of preventing the operation from going ahead.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which is expected to oversee the logistics of the exchange, also appealed on Saturday for the parties to facilitate the release and transfer of detainees.
The Geneva-based organisation said it remained ready, as a neutral intermediary, to transport those due to be released safely and with dignity in accordance with the agreement reached by the parties in Amman.
“The ICRC remains committed to carrying out this complex humanitarian operation as soon as possible so families can be reunited with their loved ones,” it said, urging the parties to continue efforts to facilitate the releases.
The prisoner file has long been regarded by the United Nations as one of the most important humanitarian confidence-building measures between Yemen’s warring sides, with diplomats hoping progress could help unlock negotiations on wider political and security issues.
The agreement, signed in the Jordanian capital, Amman, on May 14 after three months of negotiations, provides for the release of about 1,700 detainees from both sides, including seven Saudi nationals and 20 Sudanese members of the Saudi-led coalition supporting the Yemeni government.
It would mark the largest prisoner exchange since Yemen’s conflict began after the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014.
While both sides have reiterated their commitment to carrying out the deal, the postponement underlines the logistical challenges and persistent lack of trust that continue to complicate even humanitarian agreements despite years of UN mediation.