Ali Abdullah Saleh | |
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علي عبدالله صالح | |
![]() Saleh in 1988 | |
President of Yemen | |
In office 22 May 1990 – 27 February 2012 | |
Prime Minister | |
Vice President | |
Preceded by |
|
Succeeded by | Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi |
President of North Yemen | |
In office 18 July 1978 – 22 May 1990 | |
Prime Minister |
|
Vice President | Abdul Karim Abdullah al-Arashi |
Preceded by | Abdul Karim Abdullah al-Arashi |
Succeeded by | Himself 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 by | Party established |
Succeeded by | Sadeq Amin Abu Rass |
Personal details | |
Born | Ali Abdullah Saleh 21 March 1947 Beit al-Ahmar, Sanhan District, North Yemen |
Died | 4 December 2017 Sanaa, Yemen | (aged 70)
Manner of death | Assassination by firearm |
Political party | General People's Congress |
Spouse |
Asma (m. 1964) |
Children | 7, including Ahmed |
Military service | |
Allegiance | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Years of service | 1958–2017 |
Rank | Field marshal |
Battles/wars | |
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Ali Abdullah Saleh al-Ahmar (Arabic: , 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 President of the Yemen Arab Republic, or 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]
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