Abaad Study: Yemen’s Prisoner and Detainee File Held Hostage by Mistrust and Political Calculations
A new study by Abaad Studies and Research Center says the issue of prisoners and detainees in Yemen remains one of the most complex humanitarian issues in the country’s conflict, despite years of negotiations and several major exchange deals since the war broke out in 2015.
The study, prepared by researcher Fouad Massad and titled “Prisoners and Detainees in Yemen: The Humanitarian Dimension and Political Complexities,” argues that the file is no longer confined to its humanitarian dimension. Instead, it has gradually turned into a political and military bargaining tool used by the parties to the conflict to gain negotiating leverage or manage cycles of escalation and de-escalation.
The paper reviews the main negotiation milestones, beginning with the Stockholm Agreement of December 2018, which provided for the exchange of around 15,000 prisoners, detainees, and forcibly disappeared persons. It also highlights the 2020 Montreux round in Switzerland, which led to the release of 1,056 prisoners from both sides, and the 2023 Bern round, which resulted in the release of 887 detainees, including senior political and military figures and journalists who had been sentenced to death by a Houthi-affiliated court.
However, other rounds held in Jordan and Oman stalled due to the linkage of the prisoner file to political and military tracks, disputes over detainee lists, and mutual accusations that the other side had included fictitious names or individuals who had already been killed on the battlefield.
According to the study, mistrust remains the most serious structural obstacle to resolving the file. This lack of trust has turned each negotiation round into a test of intentions between the parties, rather than an independent humanitarian process. The Houthis’ retention of high-profile political, military, and media figures as high-value bargaining cards has further undermined the “all-for-all” principle and pushed the issue toward partial and temporary exchange deals.
The study also criticizes the limited role of the United Nations and other international actors, arguing that their engagement has largely shifted from political pressure to technical and logistical facilitation, including organizing meetings, providing negotiation venues, and facilitating prisoner transport through the International Committee of the Red Cross, without possessing effective tools to compel the parties to implement agreements.
By contrast, the paper points to the growing effectiveness of regional mediation, particularly Oman’s role in coordination with Saudi Arabia. It says the Muscat Framework Agreement of December 2025 helped pave the way for a major exchange deal in May 2026 involving more than 1,700 prisoners and detainees from both sides.
The study concludes that a comprehensive resolution of Yemen’s prisoner and detainee file requires separating the issue from political and military bargaining, establishing an independent verification mechanism and a unified detainee database, and shifting the international role from technical facilitation to ensuring implementation and pressing the parties to close this humanitarian file once and for all.