Yemeni community activist Hadi Jumaan never imagined that one day he would become a body collector.
The 37-year-old began his working life with a sustainable development organisation before the war broke out in Yemen.
In 2015, Mr Jumaan was asked by a relative to help find the bodies of men who had gone missing while fighting in a flashpoint in Taez province in southern Yemen.
Now he leads a humanitarian group, which helps ensure bodies of those killed in conflict are returned to their loved ones. So far, the group has retrieved more than 1,800 bodies from the front line.
“The job started when a relative of mine asked me to help him find the corpses of his brothers who were missed while fighting in Taez province in September 2015,” Mr Jumaan told The National.
“As a Muslim, I had to take a decision to help my relative, so I started contacting leaders in both warring parties and contacted some tribal figures to help me bring the corpses of my relatives back home.
"Fortunately I got their consent, so I went and brought the corpses back, along with corpses of other fighters found in the place.”
After he successfully retrieved the corpses of his relatives and other fighters, more families asked Mr Jumaan to help bring home the bodies of their loved ones.
He founded the Co-ordination Council for Human Rights as a non-government organisation to help him officially operate.
“The organisation I founded included a team of 75 volunteers, among them 12 women, but the team dropped to 15 in 2021 due to the lack of resources and training as well,” Mr Jumaan said.
“We don’t receive any support neither from the conflict parties nor from the NGOs in charge of such humanitarian work, which left me and my team in debt.”
Mr Jumaan also brokered a prisoner swap deal in which he negotiated the release of 300 inmates from both parties in a meeting with top officials from both sides.
Complications and risks
Prior to transferring bodies, he has to make several trips to meet leaders from both sides in the conflict parties to make sure they approve how and when his team picks up the bodies. He also meets tribal leaders in Yemen to obtain their approval.
“I usually make several trips before evacuating any bodies. Prior to the evacuation day, I meet military field commanders, officials and families of the dead fighters to get accurate information about their location and their identities,” he said.
He has risked death several times while in the line of duty. He has been shot twice, survived bombings and been held in prison eight times because of suspicion by military factions from both sides of the conflict.
The humanitarian mediator also faces other work complications. He has had lorries impounded or seized at flash points on front lines controlled by both the Iran-backed Houthis and pro-government factions.
Obstacles include dealing with the corpses that have remained at the front line for weeks, making it difficult to identify them.
He works in tough environments, collecting bodies from rugged mountainous areas with no access to a phone network.
And he says his team lacks the resources and training to properly avoid health risks while dealing with the corpses.
It has led to activists in the humanitarian field praising the significant extraordinary role played by Mr Jumaan and his team.
“Hadi is incredible,” said Nadwa Al Dawsari, country director for Yemen at the Centre for Civilians in Conflict. “A young tribesman who chose to do an extraordinary thing in a time of war and uncertainty, he brought comfort and peace to thousands of families by bringing their loved ones home.
“He does that on a voluntary basis, with no support, and at a great risk to his life. He is a true inspiration.”
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
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Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?
The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.
The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.
He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.
He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.
He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.
MATCH INFO
Quarter-finals
Saturday (all times UAE)
England v Australia, 11.15am
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm
Sunday
Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm
How Beautiful this world is!
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
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Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
Company%20Profile
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Two products to make at home
Toilet cleaner
1 cup baking soda
1 cup castile soap
10-20 drops of lemon essential oil (or another oil of your choice)
Method:
1. Mix the baking soda and castile soap until you get a nice consistency.
2. Add the essential oil to the mix.
Air Freshener
100ml water
5 drops of the essential oil of your choice (note: lavender is a nice one for this)
Method:
1. Add water and oil to spray bottle to store.
2. Shake well before use.
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Profile of RentSher
Started: October 2015 in India, November 2016 in UAE
Founders: Harsh Dhand; Vaibhav and Purvashi Doshi
Based: Bangalore, India and Dubai, UAE
Sector: Online rental marketplace
Size: 40 employees
Investment: $2 million
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
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Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
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Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
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Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
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Number of tracks: 10
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Age: 34
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Zimbabwe v UAE, ODI series
All matches at the Harare Sports Club
- 1st ODI, Wednesday, April 10
- 2nd ODI, Friday, April 12
- 3rd ODI, Sunday, April 14
- 4th ODI, Sunday, April 16
Squads:
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Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
