All eleven who have been transferred to Oman come from Yemen and have been imprisoned for over 20 years without being formally charged.
They have all been approved for transfer several years ago – one of them as early as 2010 – but have not been moved due to political or diplomatic reasons. The fact that they are now being transferred to Oman is part of President Joe Biden's plan to empty the prison before Donald Trump takes office, according to NPR.
The reason the men have not been able to leave Guantánamo earlier is that they are not allowed to return to their home country and that the USA has been dependent on a third country agreeing to take them in. Oman has previously received around 30 prisoners and, according to the Pentagon, guarantees to monitor them and restrict their travel.
In December, three prisoners were transferred from the prison to Malaysia to undergo a "deradicalization program".
Three of the remaining 15 prisoners have long since been cleared of all charges and are waiting for a suitable country to agree to take them in.
At most, several hundred people have been imprisoned in the prison in Cuba as part of the USA's war on terrorism. Over the years, several allegations of torture and illegal interrogation methods in Guantánamo have been directed against the USA.
