Houthi militia agree to release senior Yemeni politician

Yemen’s government and the Houthis have agreed to swap hundreds of prisoners, including prominent Islah party politician Mohammed Qahtan, during talks in Jordan.

The Houthis kidnapped Qahtan in early 2015 and providing no proof of his whereabouts or health to his family.

The prisoner exchange talks ended on Sunday after three days. The talks focused on removing obstacles that delay the implementation of the terms of the previous round of talks, providing information about forcibly disappeared individuals, and negotiating a new prisoner swap deal that could result in the release of hundreds of prisoners.

The Yemeni government had threatened a boycott if the Houthis refused to disclose Mohammed Qahtan’s whereabouts and enable his family to see him.

Yemeni government officials and human rights organizations have long criticized the Houthis for attempting to trade kidnapped politicians, journalists and activists for their fighters.

During previous negotiations in Switzerland in March, the Houthis exchanged their combatants for four Yemeni journalists who were abducted from Sanaa in 2015.