A tribal appeal for protection has triggered a major anti-Houthi mobilization across Yemen.
According to a report published by Al-Arabiya in Arabic, thousands of tribesmen from across Yemen have rallied around Sheikh Hamad bin Rashid Fadgham al-Hazmi following his release from 50 days in Houthi captivity.
The confrontation began when a woman calling herself Mira and claiming to be a previously unknown daughter of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein sought the sheikh’s protection after accusing senior Houthi figures of seizing her home and property in Sanaa.
During a tribal gathering, Mira cut off a lock of her hair and placed it before the sheikh. Under longstanding Yemeni tribal custom, the act represents an urgent plea for protection and obligates the tribe to defend the petitioner’s honor and rights.