Along the 1,400 km length of the Saudi-Yemeni border, hundreds of mountain tribes live in scattered villages, united by faith, tradition and blood. For hundreds of years the Saudi and Yemeni tribes have been living in complete harmony because of their common traditions and culture. This explains why visitors cannot differentiate between the mountain tribes living in the area. Intermarriage, good neighborliness and fraternity have integrated the families of the two countries. When there are disputes they resort to the norms of the “Khulan Bin Amir Tribe” which dictates that, whatever its size, no problem is too difficult to resolve. The bonds between the people are so strong that they have been able to withstand the attempts by infiltrators to poison the good relations among the inhabitants of the villages. Both Saudi and Yemeni inhabitants have denounced the infiltrators' aggression, branding them a “deviant group who have breached the treaties”. The elders of the tribes emphasize that the brotherhood between the two countries will never be affected by the behavior of members of the deviant group, who have “strayed from the right path”. Thus, the blood relationship linking the two countries, is strong enough to counter all these attempts. The elders said they will make an effort to restore peace to this border area. The unique harmony and geographic link between the Saudi and Yemeni tribes is best manifested in the tribes living on either side of the border. These include the Saudi mountain tribes living in Bani Malik, Al-Aredah, Fifa Al-Etaif, Al-Muhammad, Al-Kaoub, Al-Laghoub, Saha'ar and Al-Ghaith Mountains; and the Yemeni tribes including Al-Waqaish, Azhoor, Al-Etaif, Bani Muain, Al-Amshyakh and Minba. The demarcation of the borders has not affected the harmony between these tribes and they continue to live in peace. Ahmad Ali, a Yemeni coffee beans peddler, said relations are so good, that he has had no problem gaining access to Saudi Arabian territory to conduct business. “I was given permission for 10 days and I could enter the Al-Tawal checkpoint to sell my goods and buy whatever I needed from the Saudi markets. I usually take the goods I buy back home through the same checkpoint without being questioned. There are many others like me,” he said. Ali Al-Hamdi, pointing to Mai'mal Safae village, said that nothing can divide the tribes. “The distance between this village and the Yemeni villages is not more than 500 meters. There are too many things in common between us, foremost of which is our faith, blood, neighborliness, customs and traditions.” Muhammad Othman, a Sudanese shopkeeper working at a grocery store in Al-Marabi, a Saudi village, said it is difficult to distinguish between a Saudi and Yemeni. “The culture and traditions of the sons of the villages in the two countries is exceptionally close,” he said.
