Faisal Rajab

Faisal Rajab (Arabic: فيصل رجب; born 1954) is a former Yemeni military officer. A native of Abyan Governorate, Rajab joined the military of South Yemen and, after receiving education at the Frunze Military Academy in the Soviet Union, held various posts in the army until 1986, when he defected to North Yemen. Within the Yemeni Armed Forces of the unified Republic of Yemen, Rajab commanded several army units through numerous conflicts, including the Yemeni civil war in 1994 and the Houthi insurgency. During the Yemeni revolution, he voiced support for General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar and defected to the opposition. During that period, he and his unit, the 119th Infantry Brigade, were one of the main army units fighting the Battle of Zinjibar against the jihadist group Ansar al-Sharia.

Rajab and his brigade remained loyal to the internationally-recognized government when the Yemeni civil war broke out in 2014. Rajab was coordinating with Defense Minister Mahmoud al-Subaihi and intelligence chief Nasser Mansour Hadi when they were captured by Houthi forces advancing through Lahij in March 2015. Rajab spent the next eight years in Houthi captivity, being able to speak to his family only once in 2019. He was eventually released on 30 April 2023 as part of an extensive prisoner swap between the Houthis and the Yemeni government.