Yemeni Woman Resolves Long Conflict Between Two Tribes

A Yemeni activist succeeded in resolving a blood feud between two tribes that lasted 11 years that left more than 60 people dead and 130 injured, including women and children. The feud was ongoing despite the interference of the government, the locals, tribal and social contacts. “This ongoing bloodbath forced me to act even though I am a woman and in a conservative society,” says Sumaya Ahmed al-Hussam, who ended a long conflict between the tribes of Bani Badr and Beit al-Qaidi in her province of Hajjah, north-west of Yemen. Sumaya al-Hussam intervened to resolve the conflict over a plot of land that resulted in a series of revenge killings of 60 tribesmen and more than 130 wounded, including children, women and youth in 2012. The failure of all previous mediation efforts is attributed to not resolving the roots of the problem. Sumaya al-Hussam began implementing her plan of action following field investigations in the conflict area to find out about the causes and perspectives of the conflicting tribes to reach a resolution. She was able to involve all concerned parties to reach a peace agreement that stopped the conflict and brought life back to normal in the region. Sumaya, who participated in The National Dialogue Conference (NDC) in 2013, has taken the initiative “A step towards lasting peace as seen by a woman” and as a result has been nominated to compete in the “Queen of Social Responsibility Program” for 2017. The program brings together participants from across the Arab world in order to find women’s initiatives aimed at serving civil society.