Minutes of Agreement - Ta'iz

• Country/entity

  Yemen
  
• Region

  Middle East and North Africa
  
• Agreement name

  Minutes of Agreement - Ta'iz
• Date

  27 Apr 2018
• Agreement status

  Multiparty signed/agreed
• Interim arrangement

  Yes
• Agreement/conflict level

  Intrastate/local conflict ( Yemeni Civil Wars (1994) (2011 - ) )
• Stage

  Ceasefire/related
• Conflict nature

  Inter-group
• Peace process

  Yemen Inter-group Agreements
• Parties

  committee tasked by the Governor:
  Muhammad Najib: Signature: [signed]
  Ridhwan al-Hashidi: Signature: [signed]
  ‘Abduh Qassim al-Jar’i: Signature: [signed]
  Colonel Abd al-‘Aziz al-Majidi: Signature: [signed]
• Third parties

  -
• Description

  An 8-point agreement to solve internal disputes (and establish a ceasefire) between the Brigades of Abu Abbas and other pro-Hadi forces in the city of Taiz. Includes (1) a guarantee for the treatment of injured and compensation for martyrs; (2) a ceasefire; (3) the formation of a joint committee and arrest of wanted individuals; (4) handover of buildings; (5) withdrawal of Abu Abbas Brigades to front line; (6) prisoner release and (7) a ceasefire monitoring commission.

• Agreement document

  YE_180427_Minutes of Agreement - Taiz_EN.pdf | Download PDF
• Agreement document (original language)

  YE_180427_Minutes of Agreement - Taiz.pdf | Download PDF

Local agreement properties

• Process type

  Formal structured process
  
• Rationale

  This appears to be formalised to an extent, by the organisation of a committee being set up and run by the local Governor and local security officials. There are provisions for a committee formed by the local Governor to ensure hand over of prisoners, government buildings and another body to support and monitor the ceasefire. It could be argued that there is a persistent practice of signing similar agreements, with other national agreements involving conflict in Taiz being signed, one of which has also involved religious groups and southern groups - who make up a prominent element of fighting groups in Taiz. Taiz has tended to be a central point of conflict in the country - with high numbers of civilian casualties, ceasefire agreements in this area are common. This leads to an irrefutable link to the wider national process (outlined in box below).
• Is there a documented link to a national peace process?

  Yes
• Link to national process: articulated rationale

  Ceasefire provisions are mentioned specifically as an issue in this agreement text. The provisions also outline the handover of government buildings which speak more broadly to the power struggle in Taiz and control of security. Brigades outlined in the agreement represent two opposing religious warring factions, a Salafist group (35th Brigade) and an Islah affiliated group (22nd Brigade). Attempting to clear these groups out of Taiz is arguably part of a hope for pro Hadi forces to control security in Taiz and this arguably feeds into the other national ceasefire processes between the Government and the Houthis as a security imperative.
• Name of Locale

  Taiz governorate
• Nature Of Locale

  Region
• GPS Lat/Long (DD)

  13.580576, 44.018446
• Participant type

  Local state actor
  
• Mediator, facilitator or similar

  Mediator or similar referred to
  Mediator (references)

  The Mediator can be considered to be the Governor of Taiz, Amin Mahmoud as the committee discussion and signing, as well as the physical hand over of official buildings are thought to have been convened and overseen by him respectively. The handover itself was implemented and supervised by the committee.
  Type of mediator/facilitator/similar

  Regional state actor

Local issues

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Republic of Yemen

Ministry of Local Administration Taiz Governorate

Minutes of Agreement

At exactly _____ today, __ /4/2018, the committee tasked by the Governor, the Head of the Security Committee, signed, after discussing all of the implications of what happened on the morning of Monday, 23/4/2018, while the institutions of the state were moving into their offices in the eastern area, agreed on the following:

With regards to the injured and martyrs, the Governor agreed to provide treatment to the injured and compensation for the martyrs

Stabilizing the ceasefire in all sites

Implementing the directives of the Governor to form a joint force based on the directions

issued by him to the Deputy Governor for Defense and Security Affairs to arrest wanted

individuals

All government offices and buildings shall be handed over to the special forces and the

military police forces in the eastern command area. [

Handwritten in margin:

And what

belongs to the military in the eastern area (signed)].

The handover and receipt process shall begin by the committee that was formed by the

governor with official and media presence on the morning of the day after the handover of government and civil buildings in the eastern command area as a part of the plan of the local authorities to extend their authority to all government buildings and facilities in the area.

The forces of the 35th Brigade (The Brigades of Colonel Abu al-Abbas) and the 22nd Brigade, as well as all other military units, shall return to their positions on the frontlines of the fighting

Any individuals who were detained as a result of these recent developments shall be handed over

A committee shall be formed to monitor the ceasefire.

Members of the committee:

Muhammad Najib:

Signature:

[signed]

Ridhwan al-Hashidi:

Signature:

[signed]

‘Abduh Qassim al-Jar’i:

Signature:

[signed] Colonel Abd al-‘Aziz al-Majidi:

Signature:

[signed]