Office of the UN Special Envoy for Yemen Under the auspices of the UN, the parties to the conflict in Yemen have agreed to release more than 1,600 detainees. With UN mediation, the parties to the conflict in Yemen agreed to release more than 1,600 detainees Peace and security
The parties to the conflict in Yemen have agreed to release more than 1,600 people detained in connection with the conflict in the country. According to the UN, this is the largest exchange of its kind in the entire period of the current conflict. The agreement was the result of 14 weeks of intensive negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations in Amman, the capital of Jordan.
“This is a moment of enormous relief for thousands of Yemenis who have waited long and painfully for the return of their loved ones,” said the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg.
He said the agreements showed that “consistent and focused negotiations can produce results” and that dialogue can “build the trust” needed to advance a broader peace process. Grundberg also called on the parties to continue the release of detainees, including unilaterally.
The agreements in Amman became a continuation of the negotiations held in December 2025 in Muscat, the capital of Oman.
As the next steps of the parties agreed to conduct a new round of negotiations on further releases, organize mutual visits to places of detention and provide access to all detainees.
The Special Envoy expressed solidarity with all those arbitrarily detained, including UN personnel, non-governmental organizations, civil society and diplomatic missions held by the Ansar Allah movement. He stressed that the Organization will continue to seek their release.
The Monitoring Committee for the Implementation of the Prisoner Exchange Agreement was created as part of the 2018 Stockholm Agreement, according to which the parties pledged to release detainees on the basis of an “all for all” exchange.