WE MUST LOOK TO THE FUTURE, NOT FIGHT OVER THE PAST

There is historical animosity between two of the strongest, if not the strongest, tribes in Yemen: Hashid and Bakil. Although they share borders, history, and origin, they don’t share fate.For over three decades, Hashid has had superiority over Bakil despite its comparatively smaller size. This dominancy started before Hashid’s affiliate, former President Saleh, became president. But he made sure that Hashid, and especially the Sanhan tribe to which he belongs, had a huge advantage in wealth, access to power, and authority over Bakil, and the rest of the country for that matter.

The two tribes have had their confrontations over the years. One of the most recent significant examples occurred during the Sa’ada wars between 2004 and 2010 when Saleh recruited fighters from Hashid while Bakil supported the Houthis with money, weapons, men, and most importantly land for refuge and safe passage.

Today, with the Al-Ahmar family’s power being challenged by official means with the prime minister’s position removed from their control, or unofficial means by becoming a sitting target for the Houthis in Amran without any backup from the state, Bakil is using this as payback time.

Another alliance between Bakil and the Houthis is being forged and now that they are standing at the edges of Sana’a side by side, they believe that it is ok to demand their turn in power, even if it means sharing some of it with the Houthis.

Simultaneously, Saleh is playing another of his trademark games as he promises and delivers support to the Houthis, just to get back at members of his own tribe, including those from the Al-Ahmar family, for going against him in 2011. He does this knowing for a fact that if the Houthis come to power, his head would be the first to fall off, followed possibly by the other names on the Houthis’ black list, including Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar, who led the wars against them, and the entire Al-Ahmar family, among others.

Saleh knows that the Houthis will not forget how he assassinated their leader Hussein Bader Al-Deen Al-Houthi ten years ago after tricking him into surrendering. Still, he is currently supporting the Houthis who, according to the Ministry of Interior’s report, are the ones behind the tunnel reaching underneath his house—perhaps to pay him a long overdue house call.

And here comes the role of Bakil tribe. The Houthis know that they can’t rely on Saleh, his money, or his promises, so they seek old friends who have a similar goal. Bakil wants revenge. So do the Houthis, and this explains today’s dynamics.

It is not fair that Sana’a and the entire country pays the price for bad practices of the past. Unfortunately, what drives change in Yemen is revenge, not the 2011 dream we had for our future.

We want equal citizenship and the rule of law in a modern state where the ones who deserve it get access to power through democratic means, not through war, arm twisting, or avenging the past.

We can not continue to rely on the international community to solve our problems for us. It is already losing patience and will soon give up on us as it did with Iraq and Lebanon.

It is up to us as Yemenis to stop the power seeking tribes, religiously motivated groups, and corrupt politicians from controlling our fate and disturbing our peace. What is happening today calls for another revolution, one of minds not weapons.