Marib – 23 April 2026
SAMA Organization, in collaboration with the Office of Endowments and Guidance in Marib Governorate, concluded a specialized training course targeting preachers and female religious guides. The course focused on the concepts of transitional and restorative justice and the mechanisms for their implementation.
The two-day training was conducted as part of the Supporting Peace in Yemen through Accountability, Reconciliation, and Knowledge Exchange (SPARK) project, funded by the DT Institute and implemented in partnership with the Association of Mothers of Abductees.
The course aimed to strengthen the capacities of 16 participants—preachers and female guides—in promoting a culture of peace and tolerance, and in activating the role of religious platforms in supporting community reconciliation efforts. It also sought to familiarize participants with the concepts of transitional and restorative justice and their application within the Yemeni context, contributing to the consolidation of coexistence values and the reduction of community conflicts.
At the conclusion of the training, the Director of the Guidance Department at the Office of Endowments in Marib Governorate, Abdulhaq Al-Shujaa, emphasized the importance of such specialized programs amid the current circumstances facing the country. He commended the role of civil society organizations working in the fields of human rights and peacebuilding, and their effective contributions to raising public awareness and embedding the principles of justice and reconciliation. He also called for expanding such activities to cover all districts.
For his part, the Project Coordinator at SAMA Organization, Muath Al-Faqih, explained that this training is part of a series of activities aimed at empowering preachers, female guides, and community leaders to play a central role in addressing the impacts of conflict and building bridges of trust within society through transitional justice mechanisms. He stressed that preachers and female guides represent a key pillar in promoting a moderate discourse that fosters peace and contributes to justice for victims and redress for harm.
The participants concluded the training with a set of outcomes, including messages directed to local and international authorities and civil society organizations, calling for support for awareness on transitional justice, rejection of hate speech, and strengthening national reconciliation efforts toward achieving comprehensive transitional justice in Yemen. The outcomes also included the development of a set of actionable recommendations and proposals applicable at the local level.