Muscat – A new round of consultations between the Yemeni government delegation and the Houthi group began Friday in Muscat, Oman, focusing on the issue of detainees and abductees. 

The talks are held under the auspices of the United Nations and supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Government sources confirmed that the consultations, expected to last several days, aim to discuss arrangements for releasing detainees and abductees from both sides. 

Early indications suggest a positive atmosphere that could lead to a humanitarian agreement easing the suffering of thousands of Yemeni families.

The opening session was attended by representatives of UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg’s office, along with technical teams from both parties. 

Civil society groups, including the Association of Mothers of Abductees, urged the delegations to assume their humanitarian responsibility and move forward beyond political disputes that have stalled this file for years.

This round comes nearly a year and a half after the last consultations in July 2024, which failed to achieve tangible results.

This time, discussions are expected to include a potential deal to exchange hundreds of detainees and abductees, including prominent politician Mohammed Qahtan, who has been forcibly disappeared in Houthi prisons for more than eleven years.