The parties to the conflict in Yemen arrived in Muscat yesterday to initiate a new round of negotiation on a prisoner swap amid rising tensions on several battlefronts in several Yemeni provinces.
The delegations of the UN-recognized government and the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group declared that the negotiations will start today, June 30, 2024. The talk will focus on releasing prisoners, as well as other economic and humanitarian issues.
Yahya Kazman, the head of the government delegation, said, "Under the directives of the political leadership, a new round of negotiations will begin in the Omani capital…regarding the file of prisoners, abductees, and forcibly disappeared persons."
He hoped that all detainees would be released without exception, including Mohammed Qahtan, a senior member of the Islah Party who was detained by the Houthis in 2015.
Upon his arrival in Muscat yesterday, Abdul Qadir Al-Murtada, the head of the Houthi delegation, expressed his hope that this round of talks would be successful, a new prisoner exchange deal would be agreed upon, and this humanitarian issue would be resolved.
According to observers, the Yemeni-Yemeni negotiations in Muscat are expected to be wide-ranging, including opening new roads, exchanging prisoners, and discussing economic files, which represents an extension of the previous negotiating rounds in which Sanaa and Riyadh reached understandings on several files.
The exact number of prisoners and detainees on both sides is unknown. However, during consultations in Stockholm in 2018, the delegations of the government and the Houthi group submitted lists of more than 15,000 prisoners and detainees.
In April 2023, the Yemeni government and the Houthi group agreed on a prisoner swap, releasing about 900 prisoners from both sides. The negotiations were under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations in Switzerland.
With the ongoing Yemeni talks in Oman, civilians in Yemen hope the two sides will offer concessions and agree on resolving many issues to help mitigate the humanitarian suffering.
Hamid Abdurahman, a resident of Sanaa, told Sheba Intelligence that the consent of the two sides to sit on the negotiating table is a source of "optimism".
He added, "If the Yemeni rivals agree to engage in talks, this means they are trying to find solutions to their differences through diplomatic and political ways. This makes me optimistic."
Abdurahman believes that Oman is a "critical regional mediator", and it can persuade the Houthi group to offer concessions for the sake of de-escalation in Yemen.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of the State said in a media note yesterday that the U.S. Special Envoy for Yemen, Tim Lenderking, is traveling to Saudi Arabia and Oman this week to continue discussions with partners regarding recent Houthi detentions of UN, diplomatic, and international NGO staff and efforts to secure an immediate end to reckless Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and surrounding waterways.
It added, "Houthi detentions and attacks threaten progress toward achieving a durable resolution to the conflict in Yemen and obstruct the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Yemenis and people in need across the region."
The new round of dialogue between the Houthis and the Yemeni government has come amidst ongoing preparation for war. Last week, the Ministry of Defense in the Yemeni government directed the army forces to raise combat readiness on all frontlines.
The Defense Ministry ordered various military units to "exercise caution and high vigilance and confront any hostile actions" by the Houthi group.
Over the past few months, the Houthi group has mobilized thousands of fighters in areas under its control. It has also launched attacks on its opponents on multiple frontlines and conducted military maneuvers.
