Fares Mana'a
Encyclopedia
Sheikh
Fares Mohammed Mana'a (born February 8, 1965) is a top Yemen
i arms-dealer, businessman rebel commander and politician. He is said to be Yemen's most famous arms-dealer. Mana'a was born on February 8, 1965 in the northern city of Sa'dah
and was an ally of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh
and member of his ruling GPC party and served as head of his Presidential committee and as head of a local council tasked with mediating a peace-deal between the Yemeni government and Houthi rebels during the Shia insurgency in Yemen. His brother was the governor of Sa'dah Governorate at the time.
His name was however put on a United Nations
Security Council list of people accused of trafficking arms to Somali
Islamist insurgent group Harakat al-Shabaab Mujahedeen, which is considered as a terrorist organisation by the United States
and is accused of with al-Qaeda
. This led to his assets being frozen by the US Treasury Department. He was also accused of receiving millions in funds from Libya
n dictator Muammar Gaddafi
, spying for Libya and supplying arms to the Houthis. Mana'a denied these charges claiming that arms had been stolen by Houthis from an arms deposit he owned. In October 2009 was put at the top of a blacklist of Yemeni arms-dealers, after which he was put under surveillance.
In late January 2010, Mana'a was arrested by Yemeni authorities leading to protests in Sa'dah by tribal chiefs and the resignation of his brother Hassan Mana'a as governor. In May, a mini-bus drive was killed and a policeman and a civilian woman were injured as a group of Manaa's men attacked the car in which he was being transported to a penal court. This resulted in his trial being delayed by 25 days. He was eventually released on June 4, after which his relations with President Saleh soured.
On March 19, Houthi rebels attacked the city of Sa'dah
, starting a battle with pro-government al-Abdin tribesmen, led by Yemeni MP Sheikh Othman Majali. During the battle rebels joined forces with Fares Mana'a and after their victory set up a local committee, composed of rebels, residents and defected military commanders which appointed him as the new governor of Sa'dah on March 26, after pro-Saleh governor Taha Hajer fled to Sana'a
. He now leads the Houthi movement's independent administration in Sa'dah governorate.
Sheikh
Not to be confused with sikhSheikh — also spelled Sheik or Shaikh, or transliterated as Shaykh — is an honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor"...
Fares Mohammed Mana'a (born February 8, 1965) is a top Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
i arms-dealer, businessman rebel commander and politician. He is said to be Yemen's most famous arms-dealer. Mana'a was born on February 8, 1965 in the northern city of Sa'dah
Sa'dah
Sa`dah is the capital city of Saada Governorate in north-western Yemen. It is located at , at an elevation of about 1,800 meters. Known in antiquity as Karna, its population in 2004 was estimated at 51,870.- External links :*...
and was an ally of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh
Ali Abdullah Saleh
Field Marshal Ali Abdullah Saleh is the first President of the Republic of Yemen. Saleh previously served as President of the Yemen Arab Republic from 1978 until 1990, at which time he assumed the office of chairman of the Presidential Council of a post-unification Yemen. He is the...
and member of his ruling GPC party and served as head of his Presidential committee and as head of a local council tasked with mediating a peace-deal between the Yemeni government and Houthi rebels during the Shia insurgency in Yemen. His brother was the governor of Sa'dah Governorate at the time.
His name was however put on a United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Security Council list of people accused of trafficking arms to Somali
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
Islamist insurgent group Harakat al-Shabaab Mujahedeen, which is considered as a terrorist organisation by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and is accused of with al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
. This led to his assets being frozen by the US Treasury Department. He was also accused of receiving millions in funds from Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
n dictator Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar Gaddafi or "September 1942" 20 October 2011), commonly known as Muammar Gaddafi or Colonel Gaddafi, was the official ruler of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then the "Brother Leader" of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011.He seized power in a...
, spying for Libya and supplying arms to the Houthis. Mana'a denied these charges claiming that arms had been stolen by Houthis from an arms deposit he owned. In October 2009 was put at the top of a blacklist of Yemeni arms-dealers, after which he was put under surveillance.
In late January 2010, Mana'a was arrested by Yemeni authorities leading to protests in Sa'dah by tribal chiefs and the resignation of his brother Hassan Mana'a as governor. In May, a mini-bus drive was killed and a policeman and a civilian woman were injured as a group of Manaa's men attacked the car in which he was being transported to a penal court. This resulted in his trial being delayed by 25 days. He was eventually released on June 4, after which his relations with President Saleh soured.
On March 19, Houthi rebels attacked the city of Sa'dah
Battle of Sa'dah
The Battle of Sa'dah was a battle fought in March 2011 between al-Houthi insurgents and forces loyal to Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh in the Northern town of Sa'dah....
, starting a battle with pro-government al-Abdin tribesmen, led by Yemeni MP Sheikh Othman Majali. During the battle rebels joined forces with Fares Mana'a and after their victory set up a local committee, composed of rebels, residents and defected military commanders which appointed him as the new governor of Sa'dah on March 26, after pro-Saleh governor Taha Hajer fled to Sana'a
Sana'a
-Districts:*Al Wahdah District*As Sabain District*Assafi'yah District*At Tahrir District*Ath'thaorah District*Az'zal District*Bani Al Harith District*Ma'ain District*Old City District*Shu'aub District-Old City:...
. He now leads the Houthi movement's independent administration in Sa'dah governorate.