RIYADH: Families and tribes are increasingly using violence to settle their differences, Riyadh daily reports.

In the past when there was a problem between two members of the same family or tribe, elders would mediate to resolve the problem. This is not the case anymore.

Earlier this year, a Saudi man killed his 44-year-old brother by shooting him five times because of a family dispute.

In February this year, a 60-year-old father in Hafr Al-Baten shot and killed his 22-year-old son using his own gun after the victim fought with his teenage brother.

In Badr, Madinah province, a 20-year-old man shot and killed his younger brother using his hunting gun late last year, again because of family differences.

Last year in Dammam, a 19-year-old man stabbed to death his older brother, who was drunk at the time and attacking his parents. The list goes on.

Muhammad Al-Malki of Jazan recalled how violence could erupt between tribes even for the smallest reasons.

“A tribal member was murdered by another man from a neighboring tribe. No one could retaliate because the killer was a powerful man in his tribe,” he said.

He added that the victim’s fiancée vowed revenge and promised to marry anyone that would slay the killer.

“One man went to the neighboring tribe and found the murderer in a market with his daughter. He waited for him in a valley nearby before shooting him dead in front of his daughter, just to marry the woman.”

Sheikh Ibraheem Al-Douri, a tribal leader from the south, said the role he and others play cannot be ignored, as it is very important in settling tribal differences before police get involved. He said that people who live in the mountains carry guns and often resort to violence to settle disputes.

Mahdi Al-Khazim, another tribal leader from Baljurashi, thinks that the influence of tribal chiefs is diminishing.

He said that tribal leaders  mediate when asked to because it is their duty. He said that they were told by their fathers not to take sides when mediating.

“It is so sad that our role is diminishing. People now go to court thinking that they are the best people to solve their own problems. If tribal leaders were more involved, this could ease the burden on the courts.”

Saleh Al-Dosi of King Abdulaziz University said that there was no official study that could offer an insight into what motivates people to kill other members of their families.

“We feel sorry when we read in the newspaper stories about family members murdering each other. It could happen because of drugs or because of bad friends. Or it could be because weapons are available and people think this it is the best way to settle their differences.”

He said that a study into the problem is needed urgently.

A source from the Interior Ministry said that the penalty for owning a personal weapon without a permit is a SR7,000 fine and two years in jail. He added that anyone owning a firearm legitimately could still be penalized if another person then uses it due to the owner’s negligence. The penalty in such cases is SR5,000 and one year in jail.