Test Drive | Page 187

Chapter  10:  Findings     possessed   power   due   to   their   proximity   to   the   regime.   Because   of   these   problems,   most   of   the   described   conflicts  remain  unresolved.     Saleh   strategically   used   ‘divide   and   rule   tactics’   to   weaken   any   possible   opposition:   he   rewarded   parties   for   their  loyance,  and  on  the  other  hand  by  dividing  tribes  and  stimulating  tribal  conflicts.  Sheiks  were  deliberately   co-­‐opted   by   the   government   to   secure   tribal   loyalty,   which   has   increased   the   dependency   of   sheiks   on   the   95 government  and  less  on  the  tribes.  According  to  one  interviewee,  Saleh  could  reach  this  aim  by  giving  money   and  other  incentives  such  as  power,  jobs,  land,  project  contracts  as  gifts  to  the  people  from  conflicting  tribes   simultaneously.   Also   he   used   to   supply   fighting   tribes   with   arms.   “He   would   allocate   bullets   from   the   same   warehouse   to   two   tribes   in   conflict”.   The   system   and   its   related   challenges   have   persisted   through   the   current   transitional  period.  Incentives  were  always  given  in  return  for  blind  loyalty  to  the  General  People’s  Congress   (GPC)  and  Saleh.  With  money  and  power  Saleh  appointed  local  individuals  as  sheikhs,  while  these  individuals   had   no   status   or   experience   in   customary   law   or   tribal   traditions.   They   then   managed   to   garner   loyalty   and   some  support  through  providing  jobs  and  incentives  to  local  people,  mostly  through  corruption  and  patronage.       This  undermined  the  authority  of  authentic  sheikhs  and  created  competition  with  original  sheikhs  and  divisions   along   tribal   lines.   As   a   result,   many   sheikhs   became   more   concerned   with   power   and   money   and   many   turned   their   back   to   their   communities.   In   some   cases,   sheikhs   were   even   involved   in   “Authority   cannot   take   a   decision   due   to   corruption   in   local   development   projects   and   influential   persons   who   are   benefitting.   services.   The   authority   of   tribal   sheikhs   We   powerless   are   in   constant   struggle   further  declined  through  the  2011  revolution.       with   authority.   There   is   no   funding   for   According   to   the   participants   of