Sultan Ali al-Arada

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]

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]