Women and Conflict in Al-Jawf- Case Studies

Case Studies on Women and Conflict in Tribal Yemen

Al-Jawf

Nadwa Al-Dawsari

April 19, 2014

Introduction:

Women in tribal areas in Yemen are often portrayed in the mainstream media as weak, voiceless and victims of tribal traditions that suppress and discriminate against them. Very little effort has been done to explore the role women play and the influence they have on their communities, particularly in relation to conflict. An assessment that was conducted by Partners Yemen demonstrated that women are not always passive actors in conflict, but can play roles as instigators of conflict or peacemakers. Many women are active in resolving conflicts within their families and communities, and on rare occasions respected older women may intervene in violent disputes. The Partners’ assessment concluded that women’s role in conflict can be significant, both exacerbating and mitigating conflict[1].

The following case studies will examine the role of women in peacemaking in Aljawf governorate through the stories and experience of some local women leaders. The purpose of this exercise is to trigger questions and analyses that would hopefully inspire programs that could enhance the role of women in conflict resolution and peacebuilding in tribal areas in Yemen.

Background:

With a population of about 577,000, Aljwaf is one of the 21 governorates of Yemen located in Northeast of the capital city of Sanaa. With twelve districts, it extends over the Empty Quarter to the boarders with Saudi Arabia and occupies about 7.2% of Yemen’s land. It is one of the poorest and most isolated areas in the country where, according to the 2007 Yemen Poverty Assessment, between 40 and 60 percent of the population are poor.[2]In addition, over 83% of the local population are illiterate.[3] Those who visit Aljawf describe it as an area that still lives in the stone ages. The main urban center in the governorate, Alhazm, for example doesn’t have any hotels or restaurants. People still rely almost exclusively on grazing and agriculture for income. 

Aljawf is among the Northern governorates that have strong tribal traditions.  Tribal Customary law is the main system that handles disputes. However, increase in conflicts and lack of development among other factors put the system under tremendous stress. Corruption, poverty, unemployment, competition over water and resources, as well as a lack of resources for education and a shortage of teachers were named as some of the root causes of conflict in the community[4]. In some areas, tribal conflicts caused the closure of schools and hence deprived students of education for many years.[5] In recent years, the governorate witnessed violent clashes between local tribes and Huthi rebels.[6] There are no functioning courts in the governorates and the only two courts are limited to notarizing marriage certificates and other paper work.[7]  The absence of a robust formal judicial system and the erosion of existing tribal conflict resolution traditions led to an increase in conflict which embedded most development efforts in the governorate.

Women and Conflict:

Unlike the perception, women in Aljawf do have influence over decisions that affect their lives such as marriage and divorce. A girl’s consent is necessary before marriage. Culturally it is not only acceptable but common for a woman to leave her husband if she so chooses, and her family and tribe will usually support her decision. A man who holds his wife against her will be accused of committing a “black shame” among tribes.  “It is very normal in al-Jawf. If a woman doesn’t want a man anymore, she can simply dump him”, said Sayyedah Alghanemyah, a prominent female tribal leader in Aljawf[8]. Although the culture has been influenced by conservative religious education imported from Saudi Arabia over the past two decades, most women seem to still enjoy respect and influence in their communities.

Evidence show that women play a role, both negative and positive, in conflicts. Women sometimes instigate conflicts by pushing their male relatives to take revenge. “They will talk” is a local saying in Mareb indicating that a man will be the focus of women’s gossip if he fails to take revenge and as a consequence he will be labeled a “dishonorable” man. However, women seem to be more actively involved in resolving conflicts than in instigating them. Although women do not take the position of direct mediators or arbitrators, they are sometimes able to influence tribal leaders who carry that responsibility as well as the parties to the conflict or those who have influence over them.

Through leveraging tribal rules that give women access, protection, influence and respect, some women managed to mitigate violent conflicts. A woman can influence an arbitration process by cutting a piece of her hair and taking it to the arbitrator. This is an indication that she has a demand and a good arbitrator and tribesman would honor the demand of a woman in that context.

In tribal traditions, it is considered a “black shame” to harm a woman or a man who is accompanying a woman; hence, women have an ability to move in and out of conflict zones without being targeted. If harmed, the blood money of a woman can be up to forty-four times the blood money of a man. Because of this women often play a role in providing supplies and in some cases they have evacuated injured fighters.

Case Study 1: Fatima ended a family dispute:

Context:

A misunderstanding between Ali Mejwer and his brother Mohammed Mejwer had escalated to the extent that Ali had abandoned his tribe and sought refuge with another tribe. It is said that there was no particular cause for the dispute but that it was caused by women with their gossip and encouragement of hostilities between the two brothers. The fracture in the family relationship went beyond just the two brothers. Ali’s son, Saleh, was married to Mohammed’s daughter and had 5 children with her. The relationship was prone to problems and members of the tribe thought it was likely to break up if the conflict between the parents continued. The young couple had already begun to argue because of it.

In Aljwaf and in tribal areas, family ties are very important and so it was unusual to see family members breaking apart like this. Family members usually live in the same community, if not the same house. Family and tribal ties are critical to the solidarity and union of the tribe and hence its status and influence among other tribes. Many prominent men quickly intervened to try to resolve the conflict, but with no luck.

Intervention:

Fatima Muhsen, early 50s, is Ali’s ex-wife and Saleh’s mother.  She was alarmed by the developing dispute between the two brothers. Her son told her that things had reached a dead-end with his father who refused any mediation to reconcile with his brother. Fatima knew that if the situation continued to escalate it would affect her son’s marriage so she decided to do something about it.

Fatima didn’t want to go to Ali before making sure Mohammed was on board for a solution to the conflict. Mohammed agreed that he would be happy to welcome his brother back to the family and reconcile with him. After that Fatima, along with Saleh, visited Ali in his new home. “I came to you tallabah with a demand. I swear I am not leaving your house until you agree to reconcile with your brother and go back to your home”, said Fatima. What Fatima said is an expression used in tribal areas that speaks to tribal values of generosity, hospitality and honor. An honorable tribesman should honor the request of his guest especially if that guest is a woman. In this case it was Ali’s ex wife and the mother of his son. To forgive and compromise is considered an important demonstration of hospitality. “You are so precious. I would give away all my children[9]”, said Ali, an expression that indicates that he was honoring Fatima’s demand at any cost. Fatima then sent her son to bring Mohammed to Ali’s house. The two brothers reconciled in her presence and Ali moved back to his original home with his tribe. Because of her intervention, the conflict was resolved after about one and half years of dispute.

Fatima has a long experience in resolving family and community conflicts. She leveraged on the privileges that tribal traditions give to guests and women and utilized that to put pressure on Ali to end the dispute with his brother and convince him to return to his home tribe. The fact that she is related to the men and that she is the mother of Ali’s son gave her an additional influence.

Case Study 2: Aaliah stopped violent clashes between tribes and government forces: 

Context:

In 1998, there was a conflict between the government and the Aljedaan tribe. The Aljedaan tribal area extends from Mareb governorate to the boarders of Aljawf governorate. Armed clashes erupted between government forces and the Aljedaan tribesmen.[10]  A military backup was sent from Alhazm, the main town in Alajwf, to help the government forces. As the backup convoy passed by Arrawdh town, some armed men from Arrawdh fired bullets into the air. The soldiers in the military convoy who did not know much about the geography of the tribes there thought the Aljedaan were trying to ambush them and as a response they fired back not only with guns but with heavy weapons at Arrawdh. Tribesmen fired back killing two soldiers and the clashes intensified.

Intervention:

Aaliah Ali Khaled Ben Shutaif, is an older woman in her tribe, the Alfuqman of Arrawdh town in Aljawf. Aaliah was known for her courage.  She descends from a well-known sheikhly family and she is the sister of Mohammed ben Khaled ben Shutaif, a tribal leader respected not only in Aljawf but also in all tribal areas in Yemen. “She used to ride horses and she has a sword”, said her nephew Ali Alajji.

When clashes between Alfoqman and government forces intensified, she decided to do something about it. Aaliah went to the conflict zone to stop the clashes. Tribesmen from her town tribe tried to stop her but she was determined.  Carrying a bottle of water, she walked towards the soldiers. Her tribesmen had to stop firing because they were afraid they might shoot her by mistake. Government forces also stopped firing because they saw a woman coming towards them. She offered water to the soldiers. “My sons, there is a mistake here”, she said to the soldiers. She explained to the soldiers that the few bullets that were shot in the air and triggered the clashes were not aimed at attacking the soldiers. She told them that it is not Aljedaan tribesmen who are firing but rather Alfuqman tribesmen and that Alfuqman tribesmen fired back because the soldiers attacked them.

Aaliah discovered that two soldiers were already killed. She spoke to the other soldiers and convinced them that she would stop her men from firing and that Alfuqman sheikhs would deal with the problem of the soldiers who were killed once the clashes stopped. She went back to her tribesmen and told them to stop firing at the soldiers. “They have two casualties. We have to fix this”, she told her tribesmen.

Aaliah’s effort helped eliminate the misunderstanding about the situation which led to the violence. She also managed to stop the violent clashes and open a window for tribal mediation. The situation would very likely have escalated with more people killed had Aaliah not intervened.

Aaliah took advantage of the protection that tribal tradition extends to women during conflict. Her descent from a prominent sheikhly family also gave her more leverage over her tribesmen which she used.

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Case Study 3: Wardah and Fatima lead an effort to prevent a tribal conflict:  

Context:

In 2010, President Saleh allocated a monthly stipend to the sheikhs of Alajji family to show appreciation for their efforts to facilitate government work and guarantee government vehicles safety on the main road.[11]

The Aal Atiq subtribe were upset that the president did not allocate a similar stipend for them or at least a share of the Aal Alajji’s stipend. To pressure the government, they started blocking the main road to prevent any government vehicle or group from entering the governorate. They even appointed their own sheikhs and announced that they were rejecting the leadership of Sheikh Mohammed Alajji, who is the sheikh of the area. The situation intensified and tension started building. A group of influential tribal leaders from the area tried to intervene to convince Aal Atiq to lift the checkpoint that blocked the main road but with no luck.

Intervention:

Fatima Shajerah and Wardah Mejwer are two women who took part in the leadership program on conflict-sensitive development organized by Partners Yemen in 2010. During the program they learned conflict management and mediation skills to complement traditional skills. As part of the program, they were to conduct similar trainings for local leaders in their areas. The road block by Aal Atiq tribesmen started while they were preparing for the local trainings. Fatima, who originally comes from Mareb, didn’t like seeing the road block every time she travelled to Aljawf. The two women decided to do something about this conflict. They knew they had no chance to do anything directly but they were also aware that they could mobilize certain individuals who have influence and who could potentially resolve the situation. The two women intentionally included some men from Aal Atiq and other influential local leaders in the training. Abdullah ben Ali Atiq, from Aal Atiq, took part in the training and shared some of his personal experience in conflict resolution with others.

Fatima and Wardah took a two-way approach to this; Fatima had a conversation with Abdullah Atiq to try to convince his tribesmen to end the roadblock. On the other hand, Wardah talked to Hamad Shutaif, a local leader and local council member who also took part in the training, to encourage him to intervene to resolve the problem. As a local council member, Shutaif had good access to the governor’s office. He led an effort with some local leaders and met with the governor. Simultaneously, Abdullah Atiq who was very eager to engage in conflict resolution after the training, managed to convince leaders from his subtribe to agree to the mediation effort led by Shutaif. Negotiations took place in the presence of the governor of Aljawf who promised to allocate some jobs for the Aal Atiq family and that ended the road blockage.

Both Fatima and Wardah took advantage of being in the public sphere and used some social and political influence techniques to bring different actors who they thought could influence the main conflict parties, Aal Atiq and the government. First, they identified the conflict party that is causing the conflict, Aal Atiq. Then they targeted one of the influential men in Aal Atiq in the training and worked with him to influence his tribesmen. At the same time, they also identified and approach a local council member who they knew had the potential to initiate a negotiation process with Aal Atiq and resolve the conflict.

Conclusion:

These case studies illustrate the fact that, contrary to the perception, women can play a significant role in conflict. The question remaining is how this understanding can be reflected in conflict programming that targets tribal areas in Yemen? How can conflict resolution practitioners approach the issue of integrating women’s role in conflict resolution activities while remaining sensitive to the social and cultural dynamics? Women can work to facilitate and advocate for peace. They can mobilize and put pressure on men and community leaders to address existing conflicts. In addition, they can raise awareness about the devastating impact of conflict on development. While an in depth assessment is needed to come up with viable options to include women in conflict resolution and development programs in general, a first step would be to engage them in the design and implementation of these programs.

References:

·      Email interview with Ali Saeed, local civil society leader from Aljawf, July 9, 2013

• Interview with Sheikh Ali Alajji, governorate council member in Aljawf, Sanaa, January 20, 2012, Sanaa.
• Group interview with women involved in resolving conflicts in Alkhalaq district, October 29,2011, Aljawf.
• Interview with Fatima Muhsen, female elder who is involved in resolving conflicts in her community, October 29, 2011, Aljawf.
• Interview with Sayyedah Alghanemiyah, female tribal leader, November, 2009, ALajwf

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[1] PDCI and Partner Yemen, 2011, “Conflict assessment: Mareb, Aljawf, Shabwa and Albaidha”. 

[2] See “Yemen Poverty Assessment”, The Government of Yemen, The World Bank and The United Nations Development Program, 2007, http://www.undp.org.ye/reports/Volume_I_Main_Report.pdf

[3] Government of Yemen, Ministry of Education Adult Literacy Program, 2009, National report. Can be found at http://www.unesco.org/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/INSTITUTES/UIL/confintea/pdf/National_Reports/Arab%20States/Yemen.pdf

[4] PDCI and Partner Yemen, 2011, “Conflict assessment: Mareb, Aljawf, Shabwa and Albaidha”. 

[5] “Interview with Abdulhameed Aamer”, Marebpress-Arabic, 2008 http://marebpress.net/mobile/articles.php?id=3709&lng=arabic

[6] Huthis is a Shiite rebel group that revolted against President Saleh regime in 2004 and subsequently the government launched 6 wars against them between 2004 and 2010.

[7] Email interview with Ali Saeed, July 9, 2013

[8] An interview the author did with Sayyedah Alghanemiyah, 2009. Female leaders

[9] عليتي اجيب عيالي كلهم

[10] This paper is not concerned with the details of the conflict between Aljedaan and the government.

[11] Although this allocation was outside the formal system, it was a common practice by the government to reward tribal leaders who protect government interests in the area.