SANAA, Yemen — When Yemen's warring sides signed an agreement Feb. 16 in Jordan to swap more than 1,400 detainees under the auspices of the United Nations, questions arose about the parties’ commitment to its implementation. The agreement was seen as a major confidence-building step between the two sides.
The agreement comes in light of a military escalation in the northern al-Jawf province between the Saudi-backed forces and the Iran-aligned Houthis, raising concerns over the implementation of this long-delayed prisoner swap.