National Issues and Transitional Justice Working Group member Samira Qanaf Zohra has said she feels very optimistic about Yemen’s National Dialogue Conference (NDC) and believes its outcomes will be productive. 

“I was very happy when I heard that the NDC would discuss all issues which concern Yemeni citizens - including enforced disappearances - and then decided to be among the first people to apply to join the conference,” she said. “Thanks to Allah, I was accepted and granted NDC membership.”

Samira is the daughter of a military commander who disappeared two hours after former President Ibrahim Al-Hamdi was assassinated on October 11, 1977. Her father was summoned to a main office by military leadership and was never seen again.

At present, Samira is a member of her working group’s enforced disappearances committee.

“The NDC represents an historic opportunity for all individuals and families who have been suppressed for a long period of time and who in the past did not find a platform to say something about enforced disappearances,” she said. “Today, I am shouting: ‘Where is Ali Qanaf Zohra and the thousands who disappeared?” 

After 35 years since he disappeared, when Samira speaks about her father, she says she only remembers his “voice of pride.”

To this day, Samira’s family still doesn’t know whether Ali Qanaf Zohra died or not.

“I feel honored that my father was one of those who contributed to the ‘Correction Movement’ of the 13th June, which was led by former President Al-Hamdi,” she said, before adding “The Yemeni regime was changed without a single drop of blood being shed.”

“Al-Hamdi loved his country and his country loved him in return. All people supported him, especially after his government accomplished things which we are told about up until the present time,” said Samira.

“As though Al-Hamdi and his fellows were very active participants in the NDC, we mention them while speaking about good governance, civil society development, military reunification, serving justice and equality and combating regionalism and fanaticism,” she said.

Regarding recent developments in Yemen, she said that the 2011 youth-led revolution was the key turning point in Yemen’s history.

“The revolution was the start of turning over a new leaf and building a new Yemen.”

“It’s regrettable to hear that there have been enforced disappearances following the 2011 revolution. Instead of honoring and building statues for these revolutionaries, sadly, they disappeared,” she said.

Samira called for citizens to register the names of relatives who had disappeared.

“The NDC enforced disappearances committee will do its best to convey the voices of these people and then address their relatives’ disappearances,” she said.

She went on to urge Yemeni citizens to take full advantage of the NDC as, she said, such an opportunity may not present itself again.

Speaking about her past, Samira said she was particularly proud of her mother, who raised six sons and a daughter in her husband’s absence. When Ali Qanaf Zohra disappeared, his eldest child was nine years old and his youngest was three.

“Through my mother’s faith and wisdom, we overcame our suffering and continued on until we became the people we wanted to be,” she said.