Eid scarred, as five die in Mareb:Tribal killings [Archives:2003/687/Front Page]

Hassan Al-Zaidi
Mareb – Five men were killed and three wounded Nov. 19 in the governorate of Mareb after a gun battle involving tribesmen and security forces.
The violence erupted after one tribesman belonging to the tribe of al-Fugara of Murad was killed by tribesmen from Al-Ali bin Saleh of Jahm, a result of a long disputed tribal vengeance.
The attackers attempted to escape but were chased by a military force along a highway.
The military force shot at the tribesmen's car to force the driver to stop, but killed one of the tribesmen in it. In retaliation, the tribesmen showered the military vehicle with automatic machinegun fire.
Three soldiers in the car were killed, making the total loss in lives in the day five people.
Tribesmen outraged
Tribal figures of the region including those belonging to the al-Fugara tribe, whose member was killed by the escapee tribesmen, were outraged for the interference of the security forced in what they call 'tribal affairs'.
“The government should not have interfered in tribal affairs that we as tribesmen can deal with without the involvement of a third party. We have ways to settle our disputes and this loss of life is merely a result of the government's interference, a prominent tribal figure told Yemen Times on condition of anonymity.
“We have our own rules, our own life style and our own ways to deal with things and want the government to stay out of trouble” he added.

Between factions
This is the first time government forces try to interfere in a tribal dispute between two tribes in Mareb. Despite the many other tribal revenge cases that happen in the region, and lead to the killing of tens of tribesmen, the government had never in the past instructed to go between the fighting factions.
This comes a few weeks after President Saleh signaled the distribution 12,000 security men in the three governorates of Mareb, Shabwa and Al-Jowf in the war against terror and in an effort to 'curb terrorist elements, who may have found refuge in the region and to also minimize violence and use of weapons.
The three governorates are identified to be the most volatile and heavily armed governorates, which are considered lawless by different measures. The step was taken after realizing that letting tribesmen continue to carry out their affairs in the way they are today will have a negative impact on the security of the country, and hence its reputation in the region and the world, especially after the USS Cole and Limburg attacks that took place in the last few years.

The arms culture
Tribal areas in general, and those in Mareb in particular are considered to be the most heavily armed regions I the country. Yemen has been suffering from the carrying and use of illegal weapons for more than two decades. The government's efforts to regulate the use and carrying of weapons have so far yielded little fruits since it was embarked.
Today, more than 50 million pieces of weapons are estimated to be in the hands of Yemeni citizens. This number makes Yemen the country with one tenth of light weapons of the world and the country with the highest rate of weapons per individual on average (three per person).
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