Yemen's Houthis and Aden gov’t agree on release of Islah party member Qahtan

Prisoners, who are members of the Yemeni government, are being released by Houthi group as part of a humanitarian initiative in Sanaa, Yemen on May 26, 2024. [Mohammed Hamoud – Anadolu Agency]

Yemen’s Houthis will release Mohammed Qahtan, a member of the Islah Party, under a deal reached with the Saudi-backed government in Aden, the head of the Houthi negotiating delegation at prisoner swap talks in the Omani capital Muscat, Abdul Qader Al-Mortada, told Reuters today.

Qahtan is a prominent figure in the Islah Party, Yemen’s largest Islamic party, and one of four individuals listed in UN Security Council Resolution 2216 of 2015, which mandates the release of these individuals by the Houthi group.

He was detained by the Houthis on 5 April 2015, shortly after the group placed him under house arrest. His family remains unaware of his whereabouts or condition.

Since their consultations in Stockholm in 2018, the Yemeni government and the Houthis have presented lists containing over 15,000 prisoners and detainees, although the exact number remains uncertain.

In April 2023, facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the UN, the two rivals exchanged around 900 detainees after negotiations in Switzerland.

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