Chapter
9:
Case
studies
in
Ta’izz
Othmas
Account
(A
resolved
conflict?):
Abdussalam
Othman
is
a
local
farmer
who
also
had
a
dispute
with
Person
94.
Othman
irrigated
water
from
his
well
up
the
valley
to
farmers
in
Halhalah.
This
water
came
from
Person
94’s
well,
right
before
the
time
when
Person
94
extended
his
irrigation
service
to
the
other
farms.
Fearing
that
Othman’s
irrigation
would
affect
the
water
levels
of
his
well,
Person
94
commenced
proceedings
against
Othamn.
During
the
process,
the
prosecution
threw
both
parties
in
jail.
Othman
remained
in
jail
for
a
week
while
Person
94,
according
to
86
Othman,
was
released
in
a
few
hours.
Othman
said
that
the
district
director
was
unhappy
that
Person
94
was
pumping
the
water
to
qat
farmers
outside
Halhalah,
while
locals
were
deprived.
However,
just
like
the
Qassems,
Othman
believes
that
Person
94
is
a
powerful
man
who
has
money
to
buy
off
everyone
and
get
whatever
verdicts
serve
his
interests.
He
eventually
gave
up
and
accepted
a
settlement
that
they
both
agree
upon.
According
to
the
settlement,
Othman
committed
to
stop
transferring
water
to
farmers
in
Halhalah.
The
settlement
was
written,
signed
by
both
parties
and
filed
by
the
court.
In
return,
Person
94
withdrew
the
court
case.
Othman
finds
the
settlement
unfair,
not
only
to
him
but
also
for
those
from
Halhalah,
who
will
be
denied
water
to
irrigate
their
farms.
Nevertheless,
he
said
that
he
did
not
have
a
choice.
He
requested
a
settlement
because
he
could
not
stand
up
against
such
a
powerful
and
rich
man
and
he
was
worried
that
if
he
continued
to
challenge
him,
“they”
will
end
up
closing
down
his
only
well.
By
“they”
he
meant
Person
94
and
the
court.
“He
got
all
the
verdicts
in
the
court
in
his
favor
with
money.
I
saw
him
paying
people
in
500
Saudi
Rial
bills.”,
said
Othman.
NWRA
told
him
that
his
pump
does
not
meet
the
“standards”
without
explaining
what
those
standards
were.
To
him,
it
is
shady
since
Person
94
is
allowed
to
use
two
pumps
and
transfer
water
in
large
quantities
24
hours
a
day
most
of
the
time.
The
rest
of
the
people
in
Halhalah
were
affected
but,
according
to
Othaman,
they
are
poor
people
and
would
not
stand
by
him
against
Person
94.
9.4.4
C:
Dispute
regulation
mechanisms
Person
94
used
the
court
repeatedly.
His
experience
in
law
helped
him.
However,
he
also
reached
out
to
high-‐
level
government
officials
to
intervene.
The
Qassems
tried
the
court
but
they
do
not
trust
it.
They
say
that
Person
94
bribed
the
judge,
security,
prosecution
and
the
officials
of
the
NWRA
in
Ta’izz
and
cannot
afford
to
compete
with
that.
They
only
went
to
NWRA
in
Sana’a
(see
above),
and
no
further
follow-‐up
actions
have
been
taken
Both
sides
do
not
seem
to
trust
tribal
sheikhs.
Azzan
said
that
the
Qassems
might
not
trust
a
sheikh
he
chooses
and
the
other
way
around.
The
Qassems
also
have
an
issue
of
trust
with
sheikhs
and
believe
that
most
sheikhs
are
either
uncredible
or
corrupt.
“Is
there
such
a
thing
as
fair
sheikhs
in
Ta’izz?!!”,
said
Abdullah
Saeed.
The
conflict
remains
unsolved
and
the
underlying
causes
that
sustain
it
remain
unaddressed.
According
to
Abdussamad
Shuja,
head
of
NWRA
in
Ta’izz,
The
law
says
that
water
should
not
be
pumped
out
of
the
area,
but
the
law
is
ambiguous
about
the
distance
that
limits
water
transfer.
One
of
the
Qassems
brothers,
Khaled
Mohammed
Qassem
serves
as
Sheikh
Dhaman.
He
resolves
conflicts
in
the
area.
He
issues
verdicts
and
he
has
an
official
stamp.
He
is
in
his
late
30s,
younger
than
his
other
brothers,
but
he
became
a
sheikh
because
he
is
more