The mobilization of Yemeni tribes continues as the deadline set by Sheikh Hamad bin Rashid Fadgham Al-Hazmi for the Houthi group nears its end, amid a state of anticipation and alert in the Al-Rayyan area of Al-Jawf Governorate.
The region is witnessing a state of tribal and military mobilization, as the deadline set by Sheikh Hamad bin Rashid Fadgham Al-Hazmi for the Houthi group approaches, within the framework of what is known as the “Nakf Al-Karama” crisis.
The crisis began after a woman known as "Mira," claiming to be the daughter of the late Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, sought refuge with Sheikh al-Hazmi, demanding the return of properties she alleges were seized by a Houthi leader. According to her account, she fled to Yemen in 2003 following the US invasion of Iraq and received protection and property in Sana'a from former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Last May, the woman appeared in a video cutting a lock of her hair and presenting it to Sheikh Fadgham, an act considered a form of seeking refuge in Yemeni tribal custom, whereby the person seeking refuge becomes like a member of the tribe, thus obligating the sheikh to defend her cause.
In response to this call to arms, approximately 8,000 fighters from various Yemeni tribes converged on the al-Rayyan area. The Houthi group was initially given a ten-day deadline, which was later extended by two days following mediation led by Sheikh Saleh bin Shaja', but no agreement was reached. According to informed sources, only 12 hours remained before the extended deadline expired, while Sheikh Fadgham and Sheikh Mardhi al-Marzouqi, the leader of the "Nakf" movement, rejected any further extension.
Sheikh Fadgham stated in an address to the Yemeni tribes that the "Nakf" movement would not cease until it reached Sana'a.
For their part, the Houthi authorities in Sana'a denied the woman's identity, stating that her real name is Sumaya Ahmed Mohammed Issa al-Zubairi, a Yemeni citizen born in the Habra neighborhood, originally from the Arhab district. They added that she was convicted in 2023 on charges of forgery and impersonation, and sentenced to prison and the destruction of documents they deemed forged. Raghad Saddam Hussein, the eldest daughter of the late Iraqi president
, also denied the existence of a secret daughter of her father, describing these accounts as baseless. In a statement, she affirmed that the Saddam Hussein family has never disowned its children and called on the media to exercise accuracy.
