Sultan Ali al-Arada

Sheikh
Sultan Ali al-Arada
سلطان بن علي العرادة
Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council
Incumbent
Assumed office
7 April 2022
ChairmanRashad al-Alimi
Governor of Marib Governorate
Incumbent
Assumed office
6 April 2012
Appointed byAbdrabbuh Mansur Hadi
Member of the
Yemeni House of Representatives
In office
1993–2003
Member of the Shura Council
In office
1987–1990
Personal details
Born1958 (age 65–66)
Kara village, Marib Governorate, Kingdom of Yemen (now Yemen)
Political partyAl-Islah (since 2003)
General People's Congress (until 2003)
Alma materUniversity of Sanaa
Military service
Allegiance Yemen
Branch/service Yemeni Land Forces
Rank Major General
Battles/warsYemeni 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 protester 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

  1. ^ a b c "Sultan Al-Arada, Sheikh Al-Maribi, whose country has become a destination for the free". Huna al-Bayda (in Arabic). 28 October 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Aydi, Yassine (8 April 2022). "Who are the 8 members of Yemen's new presidential council?". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  3. ^ Sultan, Onur (12 April 2022). "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 22 June 2022.
  4. ^ "The Reality of the Temporary Truce in Yemen and the Formation and Powers of the Council". The Khilafah. 23 April 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  5. ^ "A republican decision to appoint Shawqi Hayel as governor of Taiz, Al-Aqil for Abyan, Al-Arada for Marib, and Al-Qaisi". MERS. 7 April 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  6. ^ Nishioka, Sarah (22 April 2022). "Yemen's Peace Process: Peace at Last or Doomed to Fail?". American Security Project. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  7. ^ Baron, Adam (12 June 2018). "The Marib paradox: How one province succeeds in the midst of Yemen's war". European Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  8. ^ Editorial Board (14 June 2018). "A model of peace to help end Yemen's war". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ Ghobari, Mohamed; Tolba, Ahmed (7 April 2022). "Yemen president cedes powers to council as Saudi Arabia pushes to end war". Reuters. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  11. ^ "Yemen president hands power to council in major shake-up". BBC News. 7 April 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  12. ^ "Sultan Ali Al-Arada". Huna al-Bayda (in Arabic). 10 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  13. ^ "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). 22 August 2015. Retrieved 11 September 2022.