Mediation Succeeds in Ending Al-Jawf Tribal Mobilization and Secures Commitment to Release Sheikh Detained by Houthis
Yemen Monitor / Al-Jawf / Special:
A mediation effort succeeded on Tuesday morning in ending the tribal gathering mobilized by tribesmen from Al-Jawf Governorate, which had been organized to demand the release of Sheikh Hamad Fadgham Al-Hazmi, who is detained by the Houthis, after tensions escalated Monday evening following an attempt to disperse the tribal gathering by force.
Tribal sources told Yemen Monitor that Sheikh Mansour Salem bin Abdan intervened at the head of a mediation delegation that arrived Tuesday morning at the site where armed tribesmen had gathered in the Al-Yatma area in northern Al-Jawf Governorate.
The sources stated that a delegation from Al Hazm tribe arrived at the gathering site and requested that the assembly be lifted, on the condition that Sheikh Mansour bin Salem guarantee the release of Sheikh Hamad and the woman who had appealed to him for justice. The woman claims to be “Mira,” the daughter of the late Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, and says her house in Sanaa was looted.
According to the sources, the tribesmen gathered at the site demanded that the mediator provide a specific time frame, but the mediators declined to do so. Instead, they promised to communicate with Houthi leaders to secure the release of Sheikh Fadgham. If that proves unsuccessful, the mediation committee said it would publicly announce the Houthis’ intransigence and call upon the tribes of Dahm, Bakil, and tribes across Yemen to support them and resume tribal mobilization in Al-Yatma area.
On Monday, a Houthi military campaign moved toward the location where the armed tribesmen had assembled and deployed forces in the area before withdrawing several hours later, amid reports of military and security reinforcements led by Abu Najeeb Qaasham, the Houthi-appointed security director.
Tribes continued arriving throughout Monday night after tensions escalated, prompting tribal mediation efforts to defuse the situation and secure Fadgham’s release.
