[ Middle East Eye ] ‘Our children are fuel for war’: Village sons leave Yemen countryside for the battlefield

Source: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemen-war-taiz-village-sons-leave-countryside-battle-saleh

Thousands of Yemenis from far-flung provinces fighting under the leadership of Tareq Saleh, the nephew of late Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, have joined battles against Houthi rebels on the country’s western coast. These fighters and their families have rented homes in the Taiz countryside, providing an unexpected source of income for cash-strapped villagers.

But while villagers have opened up their homes to pro-Saleh fighters paying high rents in coveted Saudi currency, their presence has inspired a number of young men in the mountainous communities to follow their example and take up weapons.

“We rented our father’s house to a fighter supporting Tareq Saleh, and Tamer noticed how rich he is, and how good his children’s lives are, so that has influenced him,” Tamer’s father, Khalid, told Middle East Eye.

As countless Yemenis suffer from the humanitarian consequences of the war, many families have had to grapple with the difficult decision of whether to allow their sons to take up weapons, less out of political conviction than economic necessity.

Even though Tamer’s mother opposed the decision, the young man was taken to the battlefield in Mocha on the western coast six months ago, by an old pro-Saleh fighter who had moved to the family’s village from Dhamar governorate.

Tamer had no prior experience on the battlefield – but like many young men from the Yemeni countryside, he knew how to handle a Kalashnikov, making the transition relatively easier for him.

Nowadays, Tamer is the breadwinner of his family, with his salary going towards paying for his siblings’ studies.

“Tamer receives 1,000 Saudi riyals [$266] per month, which is a lot,” Khalid said. “He is sending us his whole salary every month, and we spend some of it and save the rest for him to start a project when he returns.”

The teacher said he was shocked to see many residents of Taiz react nonchalantly to the increased presence of fighters from all over the country, now settling across the province.