Sultan Ali al-Arada
Sultan Ali al-Arada | |
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سلطان بن علي العرادة | |
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Member of the Presidential Leadership Council | |
Assumed office 7 April 2022 | |
Chairman | Rashad al-Alimi |
Governor of Marib Governorate | |
Assumed office 6 April 2012 | |
Appointed by | Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi |
Member of the Yemeni House of Representatives | |
In office 1993–2003 | |
Member of the Shura Council | |
In office 1987–1990 | |
Personal details | |
Born | 1958 (age 63–64) Kara village, Marib Governorate, Kingdom of Yemen (now Yemen) |
Political party | Al-Islah (since 2003) General People's Congress (until 2003) |
Alma mater | University of Sanaa |
Military service | |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Branch/service | ![]() |
Rank | ![]() |
Battles/wars | Yemeni Civil War (2014–present) |
Sultan Ali Al-Arada (Arabic: سلطان بن علي العرادة; born 1959) is a Yemeni politician and general who has served as one of the 8 members of the Presidential Leadership Council since 2022. The PLC is the internationally-recognized executive of Yemen. Arada concurrently serves as the governor of Marib Governorate, having held that role since 2012.
Biography[]
Arada was born in 1958 in Kara village, Marib Governorate in what was then the Kingdom of Yemen.[1] He is a graduate of Sanaa University.[2] In the 1970s, Arada, a Bedouin tribal sheikh, became associated with two presidents of the Yemen Arab Republic, Ibrahim al-Hamdi and Ali Abdullah Saleh, as part of their outreach towards tribal sheikhs. Saleh selected Arada to be part of a standing committee for the newly-formed General People's Congress. In 1987, Arada was appointed to the Shura Council, the upper house of the Parliament of Yemen.[1]
In 1993, Arada was elected to the Yemeni House of Representatives, following the reunification of the country, and he was re-elected in 1997. In 2003, Arada broke from the General People's Congress and opted not to run for a third term. After leaving parliament, Arada did not engage with national politics, instead playing a conciliatory role in tribal conflicts. However, in 2011, Arada was a protestor in the Yemeni Revolution, which saw the ousting of Saleh.[1] Sometime after leaving parliament, Arada joined the Yemeni Congregation for Reform, also known as al-Islah.[3][4]
On 6 April 2012, Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, the newly-elected president of Yemen, appointed Arada as the governor of Marib Governorate.[5] In this role, Arada, who is also a major general in the Yemeni Army, was at the forefront of the Yemeni Civil War; Marib Governorate was a major target for the opposition Houthi forces due to its richness in oil as well as its proximity to Houthi-controlled Sanaa.[2][6] During Arada's tenure as governor, Marib saw large development at a time when the rest of Yemen was suffering from the civil war; new specially-designed homes, restaurants, and a football pitch were built.[7][8] Arada also has close ties with the West, having visited New York City, Paris, and London in official capacity as governor, as well as sponsoring visas for several western journalists.[9]
On 7 April 2022, Hadi announced that he would transfer his executive power as president to an 8-member body known as the Presidential Leadership Council, as part of the Yemeni peace process;[10] Arada was announced to be one of the members of the body, and has retained his governorship of Marib while on the council.[2][11]
Personal life[]
Several of Arada's sons are soldiers in the Yemeni army, with one son dying in battle against the Houthis in Marib Governorate.[12][13] One of Arada's brothers has been named a specially designated terrorist by the United States for allegedly funding al-Qaeda operations.[9]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Sultan Al-Arada, Sheikh Al-Maribi, whose country has become a destination for the free". Huna al-Bayda (in Arabic). 2021-10-28. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Aydi, Yassine (April 8, 2022). "Who are the 8 members of Yemen's new presidential council?". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
- ^ Sultan, Onur (2022-04-12). "Truce, President Hadi's Transfer of Power, and Prospects for Peace in Yemen | Beyond the Horizon ISSG". Beyond the Horizon International Strategic Studies Group. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
- ^ "The Reality of the Temporary Truce in Yemen and the Formation and Powers of the Council". The Khilafah. 2022-04-23. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
- ^ "A republican decision to appoint Shawqi Hayel as governor of Taiz, Al-Aqil for Abyan, Al-Arada for Marib, and Al-Qaisi". MERS. April 7, 2012. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
- ^ Nishioka, Sarah (April 22, 2022). "Yemen's Peace Process: Peace at Last or Doomed to Fail?". American Security Project. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
- ^ Baron, Adam (2018-06-12). "The Marib paradox: How one province succeeds in the midst of Yemen's war". European Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
- ^ Editorial Board (2018-06-14). "A model of peace to help end Yemen's war". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Hope, Polly (2020). From Our Own Correspondent: Dispatches of a Decade from Across the World. London: Orion Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-4746-0767-4 – via Google Books.
- ^ Ghobari, Mohamed; Tolba, Ahmed (2022-04-07). "Yemen president cedes powers to council as Saudi Arabia pushes to end war". Reuters. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
- ^ "Yemen president hands power to council in major shake-up". BBC News. 2022-04-07. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
- ^ "Sultan Ali Al-Arada". Huna al-Bayda (in Arabic). 2022-06-10. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
- ^ "وفاة نجل محافظ مأرب متأثراً بجراح اصيب بها خلال مواجهات مع ميليشيا الحوثي وصالح" [The son of the governor of Ma'rib dies of wounds he sustained during confrontations with the Houthi-Saleh militia]. Almasdar Online (in Arabic). August 22, 2015. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
- Living people
- 1958 births
- 20th-century Yemeni people
- 21st-century Yemeni politicians
- Al-Islah (Yemen) politicians
- General People's Congress (Yemen) politicians
- Governors of Marib
- Members of the House of Representatives (Yemen)
- Yemeni generals
- Yemeni military personnel of the Yemeni Civil War (2014–present)
- People from Marib Governorate
- Presidential Leadership Council