Ali Abdullah Saleh

Ali Abdullah Saleh (Arabic: علي عبدالله صالح; born 21 March 1942 – 4 December 2017)[1] was a Yemeni politician.

Ali Abdullah Saleh
President Ali Abdullah Saleh.jpg
1st President of Yemen
In office
22 May 1990 – 25 February 2012
Prime MinisterHaidar Abu Bakr al-Attas
Muhammad Said al-Attar
Abdul Aziz Abdul Ghani
Faraj Said Bin Ghanem
Abdul Karim al-Iryani
Abdul Qadir Bajamal
Ali Mohammed Mujur
Vice PresidentAli Salim al-Beidh
Abd al-Rab Mansur al-Hadi
Preceded bynew office
Succeeded byAbd al-Rab Mansur al-Hadi
President of North Yemen
In office
18 July 1978 – 22 May 1990
Prime MinisterAbdul Aziz Abdul Ghani
Abdul Karim al-Iryani
Abdul Aziz Abdul Ghani
Preceded byAbdul Karim Abdullah al-Arashi
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Personal details
Born(1942-03-21)21 March 1942[1]
Bayt al-Ahmar, North Yemen (now in Yemen)
Died4 December 2017(2017-12-04) (aged 75)
Sana'a, Yemen
Cause of deathGunshot wounds
Political partyGeneral People's Congress
Spouse(s)Asama Saleh
Children7

Life

He was the first President of the Republic of Yemen. Before that time, Saleh served as the President of the Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen) from 1978 until 1990. In 1990, he assumed the office of chairman of the Presidential Council of the Republic of Yemen (North & South Yemen). Ali Abdullah Saleh had also fought a short war with the Democratic Republic of Yemen in 1994, earning a decisive victory. He was the longest-serving president of Yemen, ruling since 1978.[2] On February 2, 2011, he announced that he would step down in 2013.[3]

Death

In December 2017, Saleh said he would not support the Houthis and instead sided with his former enemies – Saudi Arabia and president Hadi.[4][5] On December 4, 2017, he was shot dead by a Houthi sniper while attempting to leave the capital city of Sana'a amidst the ongoing battle.[6][7] The Houthis said that it was the United Arab Emirates that dragged Saleh to "this humiliating fate."[8]

Ali Abdullah Saleh Media

References