AL-JAWF, Sept. 29 – Sheikh Mansour Al-Iraqi, head of the General People Congress’ (GPC) branch in Al-Jawf accused Islah militiamen of attacking leaders of the GPC, leaving four dead and six others wounded.

The GPC affiliates were returning from the Al-Jawf governor’s condolence in Nehm area, Sana’a-Marib Road, on Friday. Al-Iraqi said members affiliated with the Islah Party colluded with members from Shawlan Tribe to attack the convoy, which included members from Hamdan Tribe—known to be out for revenge with Shawlan Tribe—after passing by Fardah.

“It is a politicized attack because we refused appointing a new governor linked to Islah,” Al-Iraqi said. “Our friends knew about the collusion and came to help us, but the Islah militiamen prevented them.”

Al-Iraqi said they tried to take the wounded to a nearby hospital in Marib, but the Islah armed men, positioned at different checkpoints, prevented them from successfully transported the injured persons. Meanwhile, the governor didn’t move a finger to help, he said, and Islah didn’t issue a condemnation statement.

Al-Iraqi claimed the government bears responsibility because it didn’t fulfill perform its duty.

“We are waiting to see what the government is going to do; otherwise we will refuse its presence in Al-Jawf and will protect ourselves by way of tribal and partisan procedures.”

For his part, Abdulhameed Amir, head of the Islah Party in Al-Jawf, denied the accusations made by the GPC. He told Yemen Times that armed men ambushed the convoy out of revenge for something that happened 30 years ago and Islah had nothing to do with it.

“These accusations are completely false because leaders of Islah were also in the convoy as well as independent sheikhs,” Amir said. “Ahmed Ali Mohsen, who belongs to Islah, died, too.”

Abdulmalik Al-Fohaidi, editor-in-chief of the pro-GPC website Almoatamar.net, called on security apparatuses to start investigating the matter and to arrest perpetrators.

“This incident comes within several attacks against GPC leaders since the beginning of last year’s political crisis,” he said. “As many as 271 GPC leaders have been killed or wounded during this period.”

“The Islah is accused because it is practicing violence against the GPC leaders in areas that suffer from a security vacuum, and it is important to start investigating the matter before the problem aggravates, leading to a tribal conflict which may affect the political compromise in Yemen.”