Yemen conflict adds salt to injury for the Marginalized
Al-Hassabah residents live in a garbage box
By Fares Anam
Source: Yemen Observer
Since the beginning of the armed clashes between government troops and followers loyal to Shiekh Sadiq al-Hmar, al-Hassabah streets and neighborhoods become filled with garbage bags due to the lack of garbage workers in that area and residents feel like they live in a garbage box.
Garbage workers protested last Sunday to condemn the kidnapping and torture of their colleagues in the prison of Shiekh al-Ahmar. The General Union of Municipal Workers called all workers in the hygiene sector to participate in the plans to organize protest marches last week in the capital Sana’a to denounce the arrest of six garbage workers and tortured in al-Ahmar prison, in al-Hassabah area.
Those workers have rights and al-Ahmar armed men have violated all laws, rules and religions, said the Union. It also appealed to the United Nation and EU to interfere to release their colleagues from the hands of Al-Ahmar tribe militia. Al-Ahmar militia has kidnapped ten garbage workers on 2-3/9/2011, and put them in their private prison in al-Hassabah area that witnesses violent and bloody clashes between government forces and al-Ahmar militia.
According to the Union, mediation men have been sent to al-Ahmar son to interfere to release the workers and to confirm that garbage workers are not a part of the political conflict. “Those workers are performing their national and humanitarian duty and are serving the county,” stated Union statement. However, all efforts and mediation have failed.
Mohammed al-Marzoqi, head of the Municipal Worker and Garbage Collectors Union, told Yemen Observer that al-Ahmar militia kidnapped ten workers and released four of them, but six of them still in their prison in bad conditions. “They captured them after they accused them of planting mines in al-Hassabah.
This is all lies and they found nothing with them,” he added. Al-Marzoqi noted that the garbage workers were exposed to torture with beating their bodies and also using dogs in torturing them. “We appeal to the UN to release the workers and we will continue our strikes and demonstrations until they are released.”
Residents in al-Hassabah expresses their deep dissatisfaction on the garbage quantity in front of their houses and neighborhoods streets due to forbidding the garbage workers to do their work in that area.
However, after the kidnapped of the workers, the other workers refused to go to al-Hassabah fearing that they will be kidnapped and tortured by al-Ahmar militia.
Abdulhakeem Mohammed, resident in al-Hassabah, told Yemen Observer that it is really disgusting when you see garbage bags everywhere. “The bad odor spread around my house and other neighborhoods and if this problem continues without elimination, health disaster could occur happen,” Mohammed added.
Yemen Observer tried several times to contact with al-Ahamr office, but no one was available to comment.
The garbage workers are from the marginalized people known as Akhdam ‘servants’ who have been oppressed by the society particularly by Sheikhs and tribesmen that consider them as the lowest class that have no rights.
Al-Hassabah residents live in a garbage box
By Fares Anam
Source: Yemen Observer
Since the beginning of the armed clashes between government troops and followers loyal to Shiekh Sadiq al-Hmar, al-Hassabah streets and neighborhoods become filled with garbage bags due to the lack of garbage workers in that area and residents feel like they live in a garbage box.
Garbage workers protested last Sunday to condemn the kidnapping and torture of their colleagues in the prison of Shiekh al-Ahmar. The General Union of Municipal Workers called all workers in the hygiene sector to participate in the plans to organize protest marches last week in the capital Sana’a to denounce the arrest of six garbage workers and tortured in al-Ahmar prison, in al-Hassabah area.
Those workers have rights and al-Ahmar armed men have violated all laws, rules and religions, said the Union. It also appealed to the United Nation and EU to interfere to release their colleagues from the hands of Al-Ahmar tribe militia. Al-Ahmar militia has kidnapped ten garbage workers on 2-3/9/2011, and put them in their private prison in al-Hassabah area that witnesses violent and bloody clashes between government forces and al-Ahmar militia.
According to the Union, mediation men have been sent to al-Ahmar son to interfere to release the workers and to confirm that garbage workers are not a part of the political conflict. “Those workers are performing their national and humanitarian duty and are serving the county,” stated Union statement. However, all efforts and mediation have failed.
Mohammed al-Marzoqi, head of the Municipal Worker and Garbage Collectors Union, told Yemen Observer that al-Ahmar militia kidnapped ten workers and released four of them, but six of them still in their prison in bad conditions. “They captured them after they accused them of planting mines in al-Hassabah.
This is all lies and they found nothing with them,” he added. Al-Marzoqi noted that the garbage workers were exposed to torture with beating their bodies and also using dogs in torturing them. “We appeal to the UN to release the workers and we will continue our strikes and demonstrations until they are released.”
Residents in al-Hassabah expresses their deep dissatisfaction on the garbage quantity in front of their houses and neighborhoods streets due to forbidding the garbage workers to do their work in that area.
However, after the kidnapped of the workers, the other workers refused to go to al-Hassabah fearing that they will be kidnapped and tortured by al-Ahmar militia.
Abdulhakeem Mohammed, resident in al-Hassabah, told Yemen Observer that it is really disgusting when you see garbage bags everywhere. “The bad odor spread around my house and other neighborhoods and if this problem continues without elimination, health disaster could occur happen,” Mohammed added.
Yemen Observer tried several times to contact with al-Ahamr office, but no one was available to comment.
The garbage workers are from the marginalized people known as Akhdam ‘servants’ who have been oppressed by the society particularly by Sheikhs and tribesmen that consider them as the lowest class that have no rights.
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