SAM for Rights and Liberties, in partnership in partnership with the Abductees Mothers Association and with funding from the DT Institute, has issued a new policy paper titled:
“Restitution of Private Homes and Public Buildings in Taiz: Requirements for Reparations and Restoring Community Trust.”
This paper is part of the project “Supporting Peace in Yemen through Accountability, Reconciliation, and Knowledge Sharing (SPARK).”

The paper addresses one of the most prominent issues resulting from the conflict in Yemen: the unlawful seizure of private homes and public buildings in the city of Taiz. This issue extends beyond individual property rights, constituting a broader human rights and political concern that touches upon the core principles of justice, the rule of law, and the rebuilding of trust between society and the state.

The organization explained that the study provides an in-depth analytical reading of the context in which this phenomenon emerged since 2015. The use of residential homes for military purposes, along with the transformation of residential neighborhoods into battlegrounds, has led to widespread displacement and significant destruction of housing infrastructure. Available data indicate that approximately 78% of housing units in Taiz have suffered partial or total damage. Meanwhile, hundreds of homes remain under the control of armed groups or influential individuals, despite official directives and court rulings ordering their evacuation.

The paper emphasizes that the استمرار of these violations reflects a complex dysfunction within the structure of local authority, driven by the overlap of military influence, weak law enforcement institutions, and the absence of effective accountability mechanisms. This situation has contributed to entrenched impunity, undermined public trust in authorities, and hindered recovery and reconstruction efforts.

The study also highlights the multifaceted impacts of this phenomenon, which extend beyond material losses to include legal, social, and psychological dimensions. These include violations of property rights, disruption of livelihoods, fragmentation of social cohesion, and the growing sense of injustice and tension—factors that threaten social peace in the city.

In this context, the paper stresses that addressing the issue of homes cannot be achieved through partial or temporary solutions. Rather, it requires a comprehensive approach that integrates legal accountability, community reconciliation, and both individual and collective reparations, as a fundamental pathway toward achieving sustainable peace.

SAM noted that this paper comes as part of the SPARK project’s efforts to translate transitional justice concepts from theory into practice by supporting local initiatives, empowering civil society, and enhancing the role of victims in shaping justice and reconciliation processes.

The study concludes with a set of recommendations, most notably the establishment of a permanent official mechanism to address the issue of homes, systematic documentation of violations, ensuring the enforcement of judicial rulings, and linking the issue to broader transitional justice and reconstruction processes. These steps would contribute to restoring rights, strengthening trust, and reinforcing the rule of law in the city of Taiz.