SUMMARY

A violent shootout between the two tribes of Al-Maraziq and Al-Saida erupted on 23 November 2004 in the al-Jawf governorate, north-east of the capital of Sanaa. The shootout was the latest incident in a revenge series that had begun about a year earlier when the al-Maraziq tribe killed sex members of the al-Saida tribe. The attack was preceded by a quarrel, involving three members from each tribe over a smaller sum of money, which left one member of the al-Maraziq tribe wounded.

The incidents in 2003 were not forgotten by the Al-Saida tribe and on 23 November the group set up an ambush which killed two members of the Al-Maraziq tribe. When the reinforcements from the al-Maraziq tribe arrived at the scene a second ambush was launched. However, in the crossfire at least 20 tribesmen from the al-Saida tribe were killed, along with six tribesmen from the al-Maraziq tribe.

Following the attacks, mediation efforts by local actors were stepped up and a fragile truce between the tribes was reached.

The non-state conflict between the Al-Maraziq and Al-Saida tribes is first included in UCDP data in 2004. By early December of that year, clashes between the two tribes had resulted in more than 25 battle-related deaths.