SANA’A, Oct. 7 — Activists have widely panned anti-violence statements made by Sheikh Sadeq Al-Ahmer, head of Yemen’s Tribes Alliance, at a Saturday press conference. Al-Ahmer called on Houthis and Southern Movement members to set aside violence.  

Ali Al-Bukhaiti, an activist and political writer, said Al-Ahmer’s statements are part of the current regime’s campaign against the Houthis and the Southern Movement. He said the present regime is emulating the former one.

The Southern Movement and the Houthis don’t provoke violence, Al-Bukhaiti said. Instead, they defend themselves, according to Al-Bukhaiti.

He said Al-Ahmer already apologized to Houthis and said the former president spearheaded the campaign against Hashid tribes for fighting Houthis. Houthis have never fought Al-Ahmer or his tribes, said Al-Bukhaiti.   

As a result of the immunity agreement and the power transition taking place in Yemen, Yemeni political and social figures as well as representatives of various international organizations will participate in the National Dialogue Conference later this year.

“The political leadership and the National Dialogue Conference should open the door for participation without exception as long as the language of dialogue is distant from the gunpowder.”

Al-Ahmer said Houthis and the Southern Movement, in addition to Al-Qaeda, shouldn’t demand preconditions ahead of the dialogue. He said these factions should denounce violence and bloodshed. The groups should resort to seated dialogue, he said.

Yemen’s Tribes Alliance held a press conference Saturday, attended by more than 600 figures, in addition to members of the Shura Council, political figures and civil society organizations.   

Al-Ahmer said all Yemeni tribes must oppose negative occurrences such as tribal checkpoints and revenge killings. He said tribes should concentrate their efforts to bring fundamental development projects to their areas, which the former regime categorized as tribal and sectarian.  

Ali Al-Suraihi, a journalist at Al-Thawra, questioned Al-Ahmer’s siding.

Abdullah Muthna, a Southern Movement activist, said the Southern Movement doesn’t approve of violence. He called on all northerners to peacefully let go of the south, saying unity ended with the war of 1994.

“Unity is not by violence or force.”