Mira Saddam Hussein's Appeal Leads to a Tribal Unification Against the Houthis

Some weeks back, Mira (the alleged daughter of) Saddam Hussein posted videos on social media asking for her house in the capital, Sana'a, to be returned. She said that a Houthi leader had taken over the house and looted her belongings. She appealed to the Yemeni people for help and specifically asked Hamad bin Rashid Fadgham Al-Hazmi, a tribal leader from Al-Jawf Governorate in eastern Yemen, to help her recover her property. He quickly responded and publicly supported her. The issue soon grew into a tribal dispute involving Sheikh Hamad bin Rashid Fadgham Al-Hazmi. This led to rising tensions in Al-Jawf Governorate, tribal mobilisation, and fears of a full-scale military confrontation with the Houthis. A few hours after the videos were posted, the Houthis arrested both Al-Hazmi and Mira Saddam Hussein after tribal mediation efforts failed. Their arrests angered members of Al-Hazmi's tribe. The Houthis released Al-Hazmi after 50 days in detention, but Mira remained imprisoned. After returning to his tribe, Al-Hazmi declared a "Nakaf Al-Karamah" (Call of Honour), a traditional Yemeni tribal custom used to ask for support and assistance. He warned that if the Houthis did not release Mira and return her property, he would escalate the situation into a full military confrontation. He gave them a deadline ending on Friday (last week), extending an earlier deadline that had been set for Wednesday.