UN, Dec 06 : The Yemen government on Friday said it had handed over 26 bodies belonging to Houthi fighters as a gesture of “goodwill” ahead of the expected resumption of UN sponsored peace talks.
According to a statement broadcast on state run television, the bodies were transferred to a local mediator under the supervision of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Xinhua reported. The fighters were recently killed in sporadic clashes in the Marib and al-Jawf provinces, located east and northeast of the Houthi held capital Sanaa.
The Saba news agency said the handover took place after the Houthi side verified the identities of the deceased through the mediator.
Govt: Step Meant to Boost Confidence Before Detainee Talks
Yahya Kazman, head of the government’s negotiation committee, described the unilateral move as an attempt to advance progress on the detainee, abductee and forcibly disappeared files.
He said the gesture comes ahead of a new round of negotiations on detainees, expected in the coming days under the auspices of international partners.
The Houthi group has not yet issued a response.
UN Envoy Signals Momentum for Peace Talks
Earlier this week, UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg said he attended a mediation meeting in Muscat, hosted by Oman an indication that peace talks may soon resume between Yemen’s warring factions.
The parties previously conducted a major UN-mediated prisoner exchange in 2023, releasing around 900 detainees, following a similar swap in 2020 involving roughly 1,000 prisoners.
Conflict Background
Yemen has been locked in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthi movement seized control of Sanaa, forcing the internationally recognised government to relocate. While frontline clashes have declined significantly since a UN-brokered truce in April 2022, a comprehensive political settlement remains elusive.