Shamsan, the septuagenarian swallowed by enforced disappearance in Aden
Ahmed Saleh Shamsan (72 years old, a pseudonym), the man who had arrived long ago from northern Sana'a - specifically from the Hamdan region - to the city of Aden, seeking employment. Like many of the country's sons, Shamsan saw in every grain of the homeland's sands a hope that would fortify his future and that of his children, who had come to know and love Aden. They considered it their mother city, the nurturing embrace whose sun would kiss their dark foreheads every day. However, they never anticipated that this city would snatch away their father, who refused to leave.
On that fateful day, the tenth of Ramadan in the year 2015, amidst the chaos of war gripping Yemen and the active involvement of the "Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE", a dark cloud descended over the city of Aden. Ahmed Shamsan, then 63 years old, had just finished his morning Fajr prayer at the revered "Al-Hamza" mosque in Kabuta, Mansoura district, when he inexplicably vanished into thin air. All that remained were his abandoned eyeglasses and a solitary shoe, haunting echoes of his abrupt disappearance. For nine agonizing years, his family relentlessly sought answers through every possible avenue, yet the truth of his whereabouts remained elusive, a painful enigma that continued to torment their hearts. As the years stretched on, the shadows of uncertainty grew longer, casting a pall of sorrow over the once hopeful hearts of those who longed for his return.
In the poignant words of Amani (a pseudonym), the daughter of Shamsan: "We navigated the legal terrain in search of a ray of hope; we lodged missing person reports with the Mansoura Prosecutor's Office, unveiled our tale in the newspapers, implored the masses on social media, yet our endeavors bore no fruit. We grasped no concrete outcomes, and the most agonizing part was the indifferent response, 'May God grant you patience in your father's absence,' oblivious to our emotional turmoil! Each day without answers deepened our anguish, leaving us stranded in a sea of uncertainty, yearning for closure and justice that seemed forever out of reach."
In the end, Ahmed Shamsan, known as Amani's father, in the twilight of his seventies, fell prey to enforced disappearance, enveloping his family and dear ones in the shroud of uncertainty. Perhaps he was consigned to the extensive roster of individuals whose tragic fate was dictated by their mere geographical ties, a sorrowful plight that knows no boundaries and spares no one based on affiliation.
It is imperative that the Attorney General in Aden, the Southern Transitional Council, the Presidential Leadership Council, the internationally recognized government, and the Saudi-led and Emirati-led coalition unveil the fate of all those who have vanished under duress. They must extinguish the heinous crime of enforced disappearance that continues to haunt him and the families and beloved ones of the victims, liberate them, provide recompense, and deliver righteous retribution. The time has come to eradicate all forms of enforced disappearance in the province of Aden and across every corner of Yemen under the dominion of the Southern Transitional Council, the Presidential Leadership Council, the internationally recognized government, and the coalition forces under the leadership of Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Justice must prevail, and the shadows of enforced disappearance must be banished forevermore.
