Agreement between Yafa’ tribes in Lahj and tribal leaders and local officials in Shabwah to protect roads connecting the governorates

• Country/entity

  Yemen
  
• Region

  Middle East and North Africa
  
• Agreement name

  Agreement between Yafa’ tribes in Lahj and tribal leaders and local officials in Shabwah to protect roads connecting the governorates
• Date

  17 Nov 2016
• Agreement status

  Multiparty signed/agreed
• Interim arrangement

  Yes
• Agreement/conflict level

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

  Framework/substantive - partial
• Conflict nature

  Inter-group
• Peace process

  Yemen Inter-group Agreements
• Parties

  Yafa'ai tribes of Lahj, tribal groups in Shabwah and local officials from both Lahj and Shabwah
• Third parties

  -
• Description

  Short inter-tribal agreement providing for the protection of major highway routes connecting both Lahj and Shabwah governorates and other key access points in areas in surrounding governorates. The agreement addresses targeted conflict acts on the roads against travellers, calling for the handover of wanted persons involved in historic and ongoing acts and provides for committees to investigate these acts. There are also substantive measures to counter society or either of the signing tribes providing social cover for armed actors who have committed conflict acts on the roads.

• Agreement document

  YE_161117_Agreement between Yafa’ tribes in Lahj and tribal leaders and local officials in Shabwah to protect roads connecting the governorates_EN.pdf | Download PDF
• Agreement document (original language)

  YE_161117_Agreement between Yafa’ tribes in Lahj and tribal leaders and local officials in Shabwah to protect roads connecting the governorates_AR.pdf | Download PDF

Local agreement properties

• Process type

  Informal but persistent process
  
• Rationale

  Further research suggests that this agreement was part of series of deliberations among sheikhs and local security leaders in order to deal with historic and ongoing conflict acts on the roads. While this is an agreement which addresses the roads, it also substantively provides for bringing those responsible for conflict acts on the roads to justice. It is a well supported agreement between tribes from both Lahj and Shabwah, as well as by local officials, societal leaders and security leaders. As a local process, it holds retributive justice elements which are part of other inter-tribal agreement processes whereby the agreement provisions commit to bringing to justice and punishing those responsible for conflict acts, calling for society and tribal members to hand over perpetrators. The agreement also provides for inquiry committees from both parties to follow up on the acts addressed by the agreement.
• Is there a documented link to a national peace process?

  No
• Link to national process: articulated rationale

  No clear link described in the agreement text or in further sources.
• Name of Locale

  Ataq
• Nature Of Locale

  Region
• GPS Lat/Long (DD)

  14.534560, 46.816374
• Participant type

  Local armed group
  Domestic religious organisation/leader or other elder
  Regional state actor
  
• Mediator, facilitator or similar

  No mention of mediator or similar

Local issues

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

18/Safar/1438

Praise be to Allah who said (And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression) and blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah who says ((The blood, wealth and honour of the Muslim are sacred to all Muslims)) and after:

The subject:

agreement on the robbery and criminal activities on the Al-Abra highway, the last of which was the killing of the martyr Anis Abd al-Rab alAntari and the severe injury of two others on 31/10/2016, and the past outlaw acts of the sons of Yafa’ and others and initiating formal procedures.

After the arrival of a delegation of Yafa’ tribes to the city of Ataq, Shabwah on 14/11/2016, and their reception by a number of sheikhs and tribes of Shabwa, several meetings were held between the sheikhs of Yafa’ and a number of sheikhs of Shabwa, and its local leadership represented by the governor and the director of security, and others, and informing them about Yafa’s charge and its tribal lawsuit according to customs and past tribal practices, and on Thursday the 12th of Safar 1438 AH corresponding to 17/11/2016, it was agreed on the following:

-

1 - The people of Shabwah and Yafa’, authorities and the tribes, recognize that they are one hand against those who carry out outlaw acts, looting, and killing on the highway mentioned above and all public roads.

2 - The people of Shabwa, authorities and the tribes, are committed to chase the suspects of outlaw acts and robbery, and not to harbour any wanted person, and any tribe that refuses to hand over wanted persons or harbour them, they are [considered] rivals of the Shabwa and Yafa’ tribes, and the authority is not exempt from carrying out its duty to chase the suspects and arrest them.

3 - Whoever is proven to have been involved in such acts, the tribe to which he belongs must hand him over to the authorities and not cover up for him, to carry out the penalty following Allah's law, which indicates that the blood [the killing] of the bandit is permissible.

4- The local, military, and security authority leadership in Shabwa governorate is committed to secure the public route that goes through Ataq, which was suspended according to the decision of the Security Committee at its meeting held on 16/12/2016 and fighting bandits.

5 - The people of Shabwa and Yafa’ affirm the continuation, and strengthening, of the bonds of friendships, brotherhood, and respect, and to work together to encounter hostile and intruding acts and events on our society that damage brotherhood ties and undermine the security and the stability of the community.

6 - Sheikh Ali Mohsen Al Sulaimani and Brigadier General Mahmoud Muthanna were appointed to follow-up the case's procedures with the joint criminal investigation crew.

7 – [Illegible]