Wednesday, Feb 12, 2014
Sana’a: A gathering of powerful tribal and religious leaders affiliated to the leader of Hashid tribe has called upon Yemen president, Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi, to step in and curb the expansion of Al Houthi fighters in northern Yemen.
Headed by Sadeq Al Ahmer, the leader of Hashid tribe, the high-profile figures formed on Saturday a committee of 60 tribal and religious members tasked to meet Hadi to pressure him to “put a stop to the expansion of [Al] Houthi armed men”.
The committee will also ask Hadi to “force” Al Houthis to hand over their heavy weaponry and form a political party, according to a local journalist attended the meeting.
Al Houthis have recently claimed victory over Al Ahmer tribesmen in the province of Amran, the stronghold of Hashid.
“If the state did not execute its duties, a civil war is inevitable,” Sadeq Al Ahmer told the attendants in his father’s house in the capital.
Along with the Islamic cleric Abdul Majed Al Zindani, the meeting was attended by Ghalib Al Qamish, the head of the Political Security Organization, the country’s top intelligence agency.
Politicians loyal to Al Ahmers have many times pressed Hadi to intervene militarily to clamp down on Al Houthis in Amran. Since his inauguration in 2012, Hadi tried to distance army from fighting in the north.
The oil, banking and telecommunication tycoon, Hamid Al Ahmer said on Sunday in an interview with a local newspaper that Al Ahmer fighters were defeated in Amran when the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh ordered some of his affiliate tribes within Hashid to support Al Houthis, as a punishment for Al Ahmer’s moral and financial support to the 2011-protests that overthrow his regime.
“Saleh has ordered members of his party and some leaders of Auther tribe [in Amran] to switch sides and support [Al] Houthis,”
Al Ahmer, who is seen as the political spokesperson of nine brothers, told Al Masder newspaper that three of his brothers; Hussain, Hemair and Hashim, took part in battles against Huthis.
“Since he has military know-how, Hashim prepared the plans to repel [Al Houthi’s] sudden attack on Huth and remained in the battle field along with other figures from Hashid.”
However, Al Houthis have long said that fighting in Amran is not between them and Hashid.
Mohammad Abdul Salam, the spokesperson of Al Houthis,told Gulf News by telephone on Monday that: “The fighting has never been between [Al] Houthis and Hashid. It is between Hashid and the Ahmers who drag the tribe into a political conflict,”
Abdul Salam said: “The same religious and tribal figures who would ask Hadi to ask us to hand over our weapons, fought the former government in 2011 with heavy weapons,”
“We are part of a country awash with weapons. No one can force us to form a political party. When we realize that it is in our interest to form party, we will do.”
Deal
At the same time, both warring factions signed a deal on Sunday to stop months of fighting in the Arhab district near the capital Sana’a.
The peace deal states that both sides replace their checkpoints in the area with army soldiers. The government would pay condolence money to victims of the fighting and would treat the injured. Under the deal, both sides would swap the bodies of the dead and war prisoners within three days.
“We are committed to the deal as far as the road from Sana’a to Amran via Arhab would be reopened.” Huthi spokesman said.
By Saeed Al Batati Correspondent
Gulf News 2014. All rights reserved.
