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Houthi pressure on Yemeni fighters' families
Recently, the Houthi group has been exerting intense pressure on families, sheikhs, and tribal elders in areas under their control. The aim is to force fighters from those areas who have joined government forces to withdraw and return to Houthi-controlled territories. The group has employed various tactics, including threats of punishment, arrests, and harassment, through what is known as the "Returnees Office," in an effort to persuade families and sheikhs to intervene with their fighting sons. Pressure has been especially concentrated on tribes in the provinces of Ibb and Raymah, sometimes involving threats of detention and mistreatment. Given the social and tribal significance in Yemen, this provides the Houthis with an indirect means of pressure on the fighters. In response, families and tribal sheikhs have rejected these pressures, apprehensive of potential violations or arrests of returnees in Houthi-controlled areas, especially considering past instances of detention of returnees. This escalation comes at a time when the Houthis appear to be showing signs of confusion, amid fears of possible attacks from government forces. Meanwhile, the group is leveraging tribal influence as a means to ensure continued recruitment or to weaken their opponents.
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