Saada is a governorate

Governorates of Yemen

|Yemen is divided into 21 governorates :The governorates are subdivided into 333 districts , which are subdivided into 2,210 sub-districts, and then into 38,284 villages ....

 located in the north of 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....

 on the border with Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...

. As of February 2004, the province had a population of 695,033 inhabitants, around 3.67% of the total population of Yemen and have an area of 11,375 square kilometers.. It is one of the most inaccessible areas of Yemen and ranks among the poorest in the country. The provincial capital is Sa`dah, the largest city in the province.

Saada is one of the few regions of Yemen inhabited by a large majority of Zaydis, a Muslim religious minority close to Shi'a Islam (from which they separated at the end of the 8th century after a dispute about the identity of the fifth Shi'a Imam

Imam

An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...

). It is currently the center of an insurgency

Sa'dah insurgency

The Shia Insurgency in Yemen, also known as the Houthi rebellion, Sa'dah War or Sa'dah conflict is a civil war in Northern Yemen. It began in June 2004 when dissident cleric Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi, head of the Shia Zaidiyyah sect, launched an uprising against the Yemeni government...

 pitting Zaydi rebels

Houthis

The Houthis Houthis) are a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as a "powerful clan," and by the title Ash-Shabab al-Muminin or Youthful Believers). The group takes its name from Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi, their former commander, who was reportedly...

 against the government.

Insurgency in Saada

Since June 2004, violent conflict has taken place in Saada, killing hundreds and causing displacement of the population. The conflict has its roots in an insurgency against the government of Yemen which was initiated by a rebel Imam. A ceasefire, brokered in June 2007, was followed by a peace agreement in February 2008. By April 2008, however, the peace process was in jeopardy as each side of the conflict accused the other of failing to implement aspects of the peace agreement. Analysts suggest that renewed conflict will have an impact on the humanitarian situation in the region. In May 2008, it was estimated that there were 77,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Saada as a result of the conflict.

Cities and towns

• Sa`dah
• Aba Sa`ud
• Al Buga (Al Buq)
• Bagim
• Dammaj
  Dammaj
  Dammaj is a small town in Sa'dah Governorate. It is notable since Shaikh Muqbil bin Haadi al-Waadi'ee established the Madrasah Dar al-Hadith in Dammaaj but after he's death, Sheikh Yahya Al Hajooree took over Dammaj as Shaikh Muqbil gave him the permission to...
  
  

External links

• IRIN 2007, 'Humanitarian situation in Saada remains poor despite peace agreement', IRIN, 31 July. Retrieved on 27 April 2008.