Ali Abdullah Saleh

In this Arabic name, the surname is Al-Ahmar.

Field Marshal
Ali Abdullah Saleh
علي عبدالله صالح
Saleh in 1988
President of Yemen
In office
22 May 1990 – 27 February 2012
Prime Minister
Vice President
Preceded by
Succeeded byAbdrabbuh Mansur Hadi
4th President of North Yemen
In office
18 July 1978 – 22 May 1990
Prime Minister
  • Abdul Aziz Abdul Ghani
  • Abd Al-Karim Al-Iryani
  • Abdul Aziz Abdul Ghani
Vice PresidentAbdul Karim Abdullah al-Arashi
Preceded byAbdul Karim Abdullah al-Arashi
Succeeded byHimself as President of Yemen
Chairman of the General People's Congress
In office
24 August 1982[1] – 4 December 2017
Disputed with Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi starting 21 October 2015[2][3]
Preceded byParty established
Succeeded bySadeq Amin Abu Rass
Personal details
Born
Ali Abdullah Saleh

(1947-03-21)21 March 1947
Beit al-Ahmar, Sanhan District, North Yemen
Died4 December 2017(2017-12-04) (aged 70)
Sanaa, Yemen
Manner of deathAssassination by firearm
Political partyGeneral People's Congress
Spouse
Asma
​
(m. 1964)​
Children7, including Ahmed
Military service
Allegiance Kingdom of Yemen (1958–1962)
 Yemen Arab Republic (1962–1990)
 Yemen (1990–2017)
Years of service1958–2017
RankField marshal
Battles/wars
This article is part of
a series about
Ali Abdullah Saleh
  • Unitary Government
  • Presidency
  • Presidential campaigns
  • Constitutional referendums
  • Related

Ali Abdullah Saleh al-Ahmar (Arabic: علي عبدالله صالح الأحمرⓘ, ʿAlī ʿAbdullāh Ṣāliḥ al-Aḥmar; 21 March 1947[4][5][note 1] – 4 December 2017) was a Yemeni politician who served as the first President of the Republic of Yemen, from Yemeni unification on 22 May 1990, to his resignation on 27 February 2012, following the Yemeni revolution.[6] Previously, he had served as the fourth and last President of the Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen), from July 1978 to 22 May 1990, after the assassination of President Ahmad al-Ghashmi.[7] al-Ghashmi had earlier appointed Saleh as military governor in Taiz.[8]

Saleh developed deeper ties with Western powers, especially the United States, during the War on Terror. Islamic terrorism may have been used and encouraged by Ali Abdullah Saleh in order to win Western support and for disruptive politically motivated attacks.[9][10] In 2011, in the wake of the Arab Spring, which spread across North Africa and the Middle East (including Yemen), Saleh's time in office became increasingly precarious, until he was eventually ousted as President in 2012. He was succeeded by Abdrabbuh Mansur al-Hadi, who had been serving as vice president since 1994, and acting president since 2011.[11]

In May 2015, Saleh openly allied with the Houthis (Ansar Allah) during the Yemeni Civil War,[12] in which a protest movement and subsequent insurgency succeeded in capturing Yemen's capital, Sanaa, causing President al-Hadi to resign and flee the country. In December 2017, he declared his withdrawal from his coalition with the Houthis and instead sided with his former enemies – Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and President al-Hadi.[13]

On 4 December 2017, during a battle between Houthi and Saleh supporters in Sanaa, the Houthis accused Saleh of treason, and he was killed by a Houthi sniper.[14] Reports were that Saleh was killed while trying to flee his compound in a car; however, this was denied by his party officials, who said he was executed at his house.[15][16][17]

  1. ^ Al Yemeni, Ahmed A. Hezam (2003). The Dynamic of Democratisation – Political Parties in Yemen (PDF). Toennes Satz + Druck GmbH. ISBN 3-89892-159-X. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  2. ^ Asharq al-Awsat; Muhammad Ali Mohsen (22 October 2015). "The People's Congress meets with Hadi in Riyadh and nominates him as president after Saleh is dismissed". Asharq Al-Awsat (in Arabic). Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Aden, Yemen. Archived from the original on 11 February 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  3. ^ Tawfeek al-Ganad (20 September 2022). "Weak and Divided, the General People's Congress Turns 40". Sana'a Center For Strategic Studies. Sanaa. Archived from the original on 11 February 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  4. ^ "Hadha Ma Euthir Ealayh Mae Eali Eabd Allah Salih" هذا ما عثر عليه مع علي عبد الله صالح [This is what was found with Ali Abdullah Saleh]. Alhurra (in Arabic). 4 December 2017. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  5. ^ "Security Council 2140 Sanctions Committee Amends Three Entries on Its List, Updates Narrative Summary". www.un.org. United Nations. Archived from the original on 25 June 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  6. ^ Riedel, Bruce (18 December 2017). "Who are the Houthis, and why are we at war with them?". Brookings. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  7. ^ "AFP: Yemen's Saleh formally steps down after 33 years". Archived from the original on 25 May 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  8. ^ Aziz, Mr Sajid (28 July 2015). "Yemen Conundrum". CISS Insight Journal. 3 (1&2): P65–78. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  9. ^ Spencer, Richard (11 June 2011). "Yemen defector says terror crisis was manufactured to win western support". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  10. ^ "Informant claims former Yemen leader's regime worked with Al-Qaeda". america.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 26 February 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  11. ^ "Yemen" (PDF). Oficina de Información Diplomática del Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, Unión Europea y Cooperación.
  12. ^ "Yemen's Saleh declares alliance with Houthis". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 28 May 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  13. ^ "Yemen: Ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh killed". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 19 May 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  14. ^ Ahmed, Zayd (5 December 2017). "Deposed strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh killed after switching sides in Yemen's war". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 4 December 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  15. ^ Browning, Noah (8 December 2017). "The last hours of Yemen's Saleh". Reuters. Archived from the original on 21 September 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  16. ^ "Analysis: Yemen's ex-president Saleh's killing was 'revenge'". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 4 December 2017. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  17. ^ Hakim Almasmari, Tamara Qiblawi and Hilary Clarke. "Yemen's former President Saleh killed in Sanaa". CNN. Archived from the original on 4 December 2017. Retrieved 4 December 2017.


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