A specialized workshop was held in Ma’rib Governorate to discuss sustainable solutions to the issue of internally displaced persons (IDPs) occupying government buildings and to promote community reconciliation. The workshop comes amid the continued residence of several displaced families in key public facilities, a situation that negatively affects the performance of service institutions and raises complex humanitarian and legal challenges.
The workshop aimed to develop an organized and lawful mechanism to ensure the voluntary and safe relocation of displaced families from government buildings to adequate housing alternatives, in a manner that preserves their dignity and restores public institutions to their normal functions. This would be achieved through close coordination among local authorities, humanitarian organizations, and relevant stakeholders.
Opening Session
In her opening remarks, the representative of the Abductees’ Mothers Association welcomed participants and outlined the background and objectives of the initiative, foremost among them the formation of technical and community committees tasked with identifying practical and sustainable solutions to relocate displaced families from government facilities to safe locations. She emphasized that the objective is not eviction in itself, but rather reaching solutions that safeguard everyone’s dignity and restore the service role of public institutions. She also delivered a visual presentation that included preliminary statistics on the targeted sites, based on field assessments conducted by the committees.
Remarks by the Local Authority
For his part, the representative of the local authority stated that the guiding principle of the current phase is “preserving human dignity and the authority of the state.” He explained that using government buildings to shelter IDPs was an emergency measure imposed by urgent humanitarian circumstances, not a permanent solution.
He stressed that any relocation process must respect human rights and provide safe and adequate alternatives, while also restoring government facilities to their roles in delivering educational, health, and administrative services. Achieving this balance, he noted, is a shared responsibility.
Workshop Themes and Discussions
The workshop was facilitated by Dr. Khaled Al-Shajni, who opened the floor for discussion on challenges and proposed solutions regarding occupied public facilities, including the health unit building, the university dormitory, Sheba region University, the local council building as well as the museum.
Participants discussed several key challenges, including discrepancies in the number of IDPs, the absence of accurate registration, an increase in numbers upon the announcement of solutions, and the difficulty of relocating families from concrete buildings to tents.
The workshop concluded with several key recommendations, most notably conducting a comprehensive final enumeration in the presence of relevant authorities; issuing officially approved and closed beneficiary lists; freezing new registrations once the initiative is announced; and setting a reference date after which no additional names may be added.
An Integrated Mechanism for Safe Relocation
An integrated model for safe relocation was also presented, consisting of four phases: enumeration and verification; alternative planning; outreach and persuasion; and gradual relocation with post-relocation follow-up.
Participants emphasized that building trust between displaced families and supporting entities is essential for the success of any solution, underscoring the principle of “no eviction without an alternative, and no forced eviction,” and adopting the concept of organized voluntary relocation.
Final Recommendations
The workshop recommended forming a joint committee comprising government, security, and humanitarian actors, and engaging shelter, protection, water, and education clusters to ensure a comprehensive intervention. It also called for regulated legal measures in cases of refusal, following the provision of appropriate alternatives. As an initial implementation step, it was decided to relocate four families from the Health Unit building once suitable housing alternatives are secured and measures are taken to prevent the reoccupation of the facility.
The workshop concluded by stressing the importance of high-level coordination among all partners and holding a series of technical and expanded meetings in the coming days to unify the vision and develop a comprehensive and sustainable solution to the issue in Ma’rib Governorate.
It is worth noting that this initiative is part of the activities of the SPARK project, implemented by the Abductees’ Mothers Association in partnership with SAM for Rights and Liberties and with support from DT Institute.
