Al-Ja'ashin's Still Lost:  

Some of them were leaning on a stone chewing qat, others stretched their clothes on one of the corners to sleep. Those were the Al-Ja’ashin, near Ibb, who protested last Monday in front of the Local Administration Ministry because of their Sheikh Mohamed Ahmed Mansour's high demands for taxes.  

The Al-Ja'ashin have been camped out in Media Women Forum since February 28 after they have received no response from the parliament upon their protest.  

The Al-Ja'ashin's demands are to enforce the state-control in their area that Sheikh Mansour still forces people to pay him the supposed Zakat [the amount of money stated in Islam under the name of taxes]. The Al-Ja'ashin fled their homes after they were terrorized by the sheikh who took all their property, and livestock like chickens, eggs and cows. This happened when they handed over their dues to the governmental institutions in Ibb, they said.

The Minister of the Local Administration, Abdul-Qader Hilal, ordered a follow up committee to hear the complaints and to issue a notification to the Ministry of the Interior to investigate the issues of the private jails. The follow up committee will meet the Al-Ja'ashin's representatives. "We will listen to their complaints and according to that, we will send the committee to Ibb governorate," said Mohamed Aqeed, the head of the follow-up committee. At the same day, a dateless presidential order has been issued to Ibb governor, Ali Al-Qaisi, to look for the complaints of Sheikh Mansour, seen by Yemen Post. Yemen Post contacted Ibb governor, who was not available, and he failed to respond to the fax that Yemen Post sent him.

The protestors, who came in two big buses, raised boards scrawled with messages like, "We did not ask for the impossible but for living with dignity and safety."

The Al-Ja'ashin's protest was among numerous ones held earlier this month in Ibb. When their protests at that time received no answer, they traveled to Sana'a to protest in front of the parliament on February 26. But they ended up camping out at the MWF's front yard the next day when they were failed by the parliament. Moreover, they have stamped bloody finger prints as an extreme expression of protest.

"Unity...Unity, Ali [the President Ali Abdullah Saleh]", those are one of the chants that Al-Ja'ashin residents shouted in front of the building of the Ministry of the Local Administration. "We call for justice and we call for protection when we go back to our homelands. Or, we call on the President to create for us a residential city as it was build for the marginalized," said Hashim Hamoud Abdullah, 21, a resident in Al-Ansyayin in Al-Ja'ashin.  

The protestors were holding pictures of the president and the General People's Congress. "We want to tell the President that we give our taxes and we gave it to the government."

The Al-Ja’ashin have survived with the Sheikh for more than three decades, and apparently their fear was the main reason to stay quiet for this long time. "Since I knew myself, I used to think that the sheikh [Mansour] will come to get me even when I am in Sana'a," said Ibrahim Al-Salahi, 29, a graduate, off Al-Ja'ashin from Al-Ansyayin. People were terrorized by Sheikh Mansour's previous reactions against some people who confronted him like Sayeed Hamoud Al-Ibbi, who was oppressed harshly by the sheikh because of the confrontation. Beside this, Sheikh Mansour called anyone who rebelled against him as Houthi, the rebels in Sa'ada governorate, or terrorists, said Al-Salahi. "He used that to recruit governmental support," said Al-Salahi. Also, the high-priced taxes forced people to take their kids out of schools to help them in the farms, which would root ignorance among people. Al-Salhi's educated friend was asked to teach first-graders only because he was feared to corrupt the students’ minds with his thoughts that did not please the sheikh, said Al-Salahi.

Al-Ja’ashin’s fear from the sheikh can be sensed through their constant mentioning to the Manours's three private jails; however, it seems that this fear is not a problem anymore.

"We abandoned fear and we are talking freely," said Al-Salahi.

Side by side to Al-Ansyayin, off Al-Ja'ashin district, there are people from Al-Sifah and Al-Re'ash, other villages in Al-Ja'ashin, who went in the same process last year and have the same demands against Sheikh Mansour. "Sheikh Mansour thinks that we are the ones who persuade the Al-Ansyayin people against him," said Ali, Al-Jabri, the deputy chairman of the Ikha [Brotherhood] and Takafol[Solidarity] Association, which was established in Al-Re'ash and Al-Sifah upon their protest last year.

Waleed Marish, 27, off Al-Ja'ashin from Al-Re'ash and Al-Sifah, said that Sheikh Mansour did not intervene any more. However, the orders to shut down his private jails and compensate the affected people do not see the light so far.

Al-Ja'ashin of Al-Ansyayin, who never knew city life until this time, said that they won't go back to their homes until they receive justice.

Al-Ansyayin of Al-Ja'ashin, who camped in MWF for more than 10 days, sleep on floors, suffer from cold weather and have food from time to time from donors.