Wings of a Bird

One Man Leads Often Dangerous Quest to Quell Violence in Yemen - N.Y. Times
... Mr. Marwani traces his determination to end the violence to a severe injury he suffered at age 12, when he and his friends were playing with a grenade that exploded. Although the wounds have healed, he says, he can never forget the damage that the continuous conflict had done to Yemen’s society and culture. ...
In 1996, with the civil war finally over, he formed a council to try to settle tribal disputes in his region. But when he tried to settle a feud in another province, they refused his services and chased him out of town, he said.
He said he realized he had to broaden his effort, to reach out to other tribes ...
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Through his organization, Dar Al Salam, or the House of Peace, which he formed in 1997 to spread the message of tolerance, he says he has negotiated cease-fire deals between warring tribes and even persuaded some to disarm.
This year he persuaded the government to declare election day a weapons-free day. Then he helped cajole Yemen’s combative tribes to sign a contract agreeing to leave their weapons at home, and he enlisted businessmen to plaster his trademark symbol, a pistol crossed out with a thick red line, on billboards, in newspapers, and on bottles of water and laundry detergent, among other items.
Eight people were killed on election night, The Associated Press reported, but that was down from the 67 killed and more than 100 wounded during local council elections in 2001. ...