Fatal Clashes Erupt in Al-Hazm as Tribal Mobilization Continues in Al-Rayyan: Is Al-Jawf on the Brink of a Tribal Uprising Against the Houthis?

Yemen Monitor / Al-Jawf / Special Report:

Clashes broke out Thursday evening between armed members of the Hamdan tribe in Al-Jawf Governorate, northeastern Yemen, and a Houthi security force, leaving people dead and wounded on both sides. The Houthis have also been accused of carrying out extrajudicial killings of two wounded tribesmen inside hospitals and abducting the body of another slain tribesman.

Local and field sources told Yemen Monitor that the fighting began after members of the Hamdan tribe, based in Al-Hazm District, the provincial capital of Al-Jawf, blocked the main asphalt highway linking Al-Jawf and Marib in the Al-Kubri area.

According to the sources, the roadblock was organized to demand the settlement of rights and grievances that had remained unresolved for about a year involving the Houthi-appointed commander of the Sixth Military Region, known as Abu Badr Zura’ah, whose command includes the Al-Jawf frontlines.

The sources said the Houthis responded by deploying a large security force that surrounded the area, triggering clashes in which a tribesman identified as Saleh Al-Zaidi was killed and two others were wounded. A local human rights organization later alleged that the two wounded men were executed after being taken to a hospital for treatment. The confrontation ended after the roadblock was dispersed. Sources also reported Houthi casualties but said no verified casualty figures were available.

Meanwhile, the Justice for Rights and Development Organization condemned the Houthis’ actions in a statement, accusing the group of “taking the two wounded men, Saleh Mohammed Al-Qahqawah and Al-Jaladi Al-Hubaishi, and executing them in cold blood inside the hospital where they had been transferred for medical treatment while they were completely incapacitated.”

The organization described the alleged killings as a flagrant violation of the sanctity of medical facilities and of the right of wounded persons to protection and medical care.

Al-Hazm has since witnessed widespread tribal mobilization, while Houthi forces have imposed a security cordon around several neighborhoods. The Houthi leadership has not issued any official statement regarding either the clashes or the alleged killings inside medical facilities.

Tribal Mobilization Continues at Al-Rayyan

In a related development reflecting escalating tribal tensions in Al-Jawf, tribal delegations continue to arrive at Al-Rayyan, east of the governorate in an area controlled by Yemen’s internationally recognized government.

The mobilization follows a tribal call to arms (nakaf) issued by Sheikh Hamad bin Fadgham and the Bani Nawf tribe over the case of a woman who sought refuge with the tribe and claims to be Mira, the daughter of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, before reportedly being arrested by the Houthis.

Yemen Monitor’s correspondent quoted tribal sources as saying that dozens of tribes from across Yemen continue to converge on Al-Rayyan, declaring their full support for Sheikh Bin Fadgham and the Bani Nawf tribe and demanding the woman’s immediate release and her transfer to the tribal gathering in accordance with tribal customs and traditions.

The sources confirmed reports that tribal mediators have begun efforts to defuse the crisis but said mediation remains at a preliminary stage and that no delegation has yet reached the tribal gathering.

In a video circulated by activists, Sheikh Hamad bin Fadgham stressed that the tribes’ demands are specific and carry no political or military objectives.

“We have one clear demand: the release of the woman and her transfer to the tribal gathering. As for the internationally recognized government and the coalition, they have aircraft and military power. We have no connection to any military campaign or liberation effort,” he said.

Bin Fadgham emphasized that the tribes had mobilized solely over an issue involving tribal honor and dignity, adding:

“The tribal gathering will disperse within moments once this demand is met and the matter is resolved through tribal arbitration.”

The tribal gathering at Al-Rayyan has now continued for its eighth consecutive day, with participants reiterating their demands.

Meanwhile, the Houthis have reportedly tasked their allied tribal figure Faris Al-Habari with rallying tribes from Arhab to assert that the woman sought by Bin Fadgham is actually Sumayyah Al-Zubairi, a woman from Arhab with no connection to his claims.

At the same time, senior Houthi official and Political Council member Mohammed Al-Farah criticized the tribes assembled east of Al-Jawf, accusing Saudi Arabia of encouraging the escalation.