A/HRC/18/21 26. In addition to the above-mentioned bodies, the Mission was informed that plainclothes individuals, called baltaji/baltajiyah7, have been engaged in activities alongside security forces, attacking protesters with batons or firearms. Some of these individuals who were seized by protesters allegedly carried documents linking them with security organs. 27. In Yemen, tensions exist not only between the Government and the country’s many tribes, but also among the various tribes. In light of the widespread availability of weapons, tensions among tribes and/or with the Government often result in armed confrontations. The main non-State armed groups that participate in such confrontations reportedly include the Huthis and Islamic groups, such as Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and Ansar AlShari’a. It has been alleged that these latter groups have access to, and possibly receive support from, senior civilian and military officials. Furthermore, several tribes have joined local conflicts in recent months. The Mission was informed that certain local tribes had sided with the Yemeni army to combat Islamist groups, while other tribes were fighting against the Huthis. C. International legal framework 28. Yemen is party to eight of the nine core international human rights treaties.8 In reviewing Yemen’s implementation of its treaty obligations, the relevant human rights treaty bodies noted that violations of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights persist on a considerable scale. Treaty bodies have also expressed deep concern regarding the limited progress in implementing their observations and recommendations, and a lack of cooperation with the relevant treaty-bodies.9 29. A state of emergency was proclaimed by President Saleh on 18 March 2011, and a law was passed by the Council of Representatives on 23 March 2011 approving the state of emergency for a period of one month. The Mission was told repeatedly that the provisions of the law were not implemented. IV. Current human rights situation 30. Since the beginning of the current unrest, a wide range of human rights violations and abuses have allegedly taken place throughout the country. Many of these allegations concern the excessive use of force against largely peaceful protesters by Government security forces and their affiliates. Yet others concern clashes involving different combinations of pro- and anti-government protesters, armed tribesmen, armed Islamists and/or Government security forces, some of whom are defectors. At the time of writing, the Mission was unable to present accurate numbers of killings and injuries since the multiple lists received do not consistently distinguish between these categories, in addition to victims of armed clashes and security personnel. 31. This section contains the Mission’s preliminary assessment of the human rights situation in Yemen in light of recent events and against the backdrop of Yemen’s 7 8 9 8 Sort of “hired vigilantes” would be an approximate translation. Yemen is not party to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. The Committees often refer to "widespread violations" and "continuing violations". CESCR noted that Yemen's report was not complete in its coverage of all the rights covered in the Covenant, and that the State's replies to the list of issues did not provide a systematic response. CAT noted with concern that the conclusions and recommendations addressed to Yemen in 2003 have not been sufficiently taken into consideration.