Yemen gov't postpones prisoner exchange talks with Houthis

Yemen’s internationally-recognised government has announced the indefinite postponement of a prisoner exchange with the Houthi rebel group this week, in a development signalling a potential setback in negotiations for a peace process in the country.

Talks between the Yemeni government and the Houthis were scheduled to take place in Jordan this week in order to facilitate a new prisoner exchange agreement, as part of a process that began in Switzerland under the United Nations’ supervision in March last year, when around 900 prisoners were released from both sides under a landmark deal.

In a statement on X, however, spokesperson and negotiator for the government’s prisoners, Majid Fadael, announced that the talks have been indefinitely postponed due to the uncompromising stance of the Houthis and their alleged obstruction of the meeting.

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Fadael accused the Houthis of also having obstructed another meeting planned in Switzerland in November, as well as generally continuing the rebel group’s crimes against the Yemeni people and exploiting humanitarian issues in the political and media fields.

The last deal, back in March, resulted in much praise and renewed hope for a political and diplomatic solution to Yemen’s eight-year-long civil war, and efforts toward that continued in the months since then.

The process has become largely stagnant, however, and has even deteriorated further due to disagreements caused – according to reports and critics – primarily by the Houthi’s inflexibility and unwillingness to compromise. The indefinite postponement of the prisoner exchange talks is therefore seen as the latest sign of a breakdown in the process for a political resolution.

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