Tribal loyalties in political struggles Eight sub-tribes make up the Khawlan b. Amir tribal confederation, a society divided by political power struggles in south-western Arabia. An EU-funded research initiative explored new tribal loyalties and alliances arising within Khawlan tribes following the Huthi conflict. Society © Thinkstock Between 2004 and 2010 six so-called wars took place in Yemen. Termed the Huthi conflict, the clash between the government, political and sectarian contenders escalated to a large-scale insurrection due to tribal involvement. The project 'Shifting loyalties: The tribes of Khawlan b. Amir in the Huthi conflict in north-west Yemen' (SHIFTING LOYALTIES) retraced the development of tribal loyalties and allegiances during the conflict. It brought to light the factors affecting tribal involvement and loyalties as well as impact on the course and outcome of the conflict. A combined methodological approach allowed SHIFTING LOYALTIES to gather unique empirical knowledge regarding the particular intricacies of the Huthi conflict. The study involved ethnographic fieldwork, which was supplemented with ongoing online exchanges with human sources and informants due to Yemen's unstable security situation. Qualitative content analysis, on the other hand, allowed the examination of written source materials. These included western and especially Arabic scientific literature as well as Yemeni and Saudi online journals and newspapers. Findings show that in the governorate of Sa'dah, local society is still dominated by tribal customs and traditions. Selective favouritism towards certain tribal leaders and the segregation of others led to rivalries and conflicts among local tribal elites. This resulted in social discontent and unrest as inequalities in influence, wealth and income became more pronounced. Research also found that in many cases the Huthi conflict was used to pursue pre-existing rivalries and feuds rather than defend religious or ideological objectives. Beyond contributing new knowledge to a region of increasing international importance, project findings also enriched the field of social anthropology. The developed scientific framework enables the use of various approaches for researching the role of locals in implementation of policies, ideologies and religious interpretations. SHIFTING LOYALTIES also advanced recommendations for organisations with a special interest in better understanding Yemeni conflicts and social disparities. These include (foreign) policy, security and international organisations dedicated to, for example, human aid and international development. Keywords Tribal loyalties, political, power struggles, Khawlan tribe, Huthi conflict, tribal customs, social discontent, unrest, inequalities
