(1)THE KREMLIN, MOSCOW. With the President of the Republic of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh
In their "War on Terror". In 2011, in the wake of the "Arab Spring" that spread across the Middle East, including Yemen, Saleh's time in office became more and more untenable until eventually he was ousted as President in 2012. He was succeeded by Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi.
Ali Saleh was killed by a Houthi sniper while attempting to flee the capital city of Sana'a amidst the 2017 battle for the city on 4 December 2017.
Early life
Young Ali Saleh in the Imamate Army of Yemen uniform
Ali Abdullah Saleh Afash was born on 21 March 1947 to a poor family at Bait el-Ahmar village from the Sanhan clan whose territories lie some 20 kilometres southeast of the capital, Sana'a. Saleh's father, Abdallah Saleh died when Saleh was still young and after he divorced with Ali Abdullah's mother. His mother later remarried to her deceased former husband's brother, Muhammad Saleh, who soon became Saleh's mentor and stepfather.
Rise to power
Saleh received his primary education at Ma'alama village before leaving to join the North Yemeni Armed Forces in 1958 at the age of 11 as an infantry soldier, and was admitted to the North Yemen Military Academy in 1960. Three years later, in 1963, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Armoured Corps. He participated in the Nasserist-inspired Army Coup of 1962, which was instrumental in the removal of King Muhammad al-Badr and the establishment of the Yemen Arab Republic. During the North Yemen Civil War he served in the Tank Corps, attaining the rank of major by 1969. He received further training as a staff officer in the Higher Command and staff C Course in Iraq, between 1970 and 1971, and was promoted to lieutenant colonel. He became a full colonel in 1976 and was given command of a mechanised brigade. In 1977, the President of North Yemen, Ahmed bin Hussein al-Ghashmi, appointed him as military governor of Ta'izz.
After al-Ghashmi was assassinated on 24 June 1978, Colonel Saleh was appointed to be a member of the four-man provisional presidency council and deputy to the general staff commander. On 17 July 1978, Saleh was elected by the Parliament to be the President of the Yemen Arab Republic, while simultaneously holding the positions of chief of staff and commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
Career
Saleh in 1988, as President of North Yemen
Saleh with George W. Bush in 2007
Saleh was promoted to major general in 1980, elected as the secretary-general of the General People's Congress party on 30 August 1982, and re-elected president of the Yemen Arab Republic in 1983.
The decline of the Soviet Union severely weakened the status of South Yemen, and, in 1990, the North and South agreed to unify after years of negotiations. The South accepted Saleh as President of the unified country, while Ali Salim al-Beidh served as the Vice President and a member of the Presidential Council.
On 24 December 1997, Parliament approved Saleh's promotion to the rank of field marshal, making him highest-ranking military officer in Yemen. He became Yemen's first directly-elected president in the 1999 presidential election, winning 96.2% of the vote.
Vice President Dick Cheney and President Ali Abdullah Saleh discuss joint efforts to fight terrorist activity at a press conference in Sana'a, Yemen, 14 March 2002
After the 1999 elections the Parliament passed a law extending presidential terms from five to seven years, extending parliamentary terms from four to six years, and creating a 111-member, presidentially-appointed council of advisors with legislative power. This move prompted Freedom House to downgrade their rating of political freedom in Yemen from 5 to 6.
In the 2006 presidential election, held on 20 September, Saleh won with 77.2% of the vote.
President Ali Abdullah Saleh and his son Ahmed, 1984
On 23 April 2011, facing massive nationwide protests, Saleh agreed to step down under a 30-day transition plan in which he would receive immunity from criminal prosecution. He stated that he planned to hand power over to his Vice President, Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi as part of the deal.
On 18 May 2011, he agreed to sign a deal with opposition groups, stipulating that he would resign within a month; On 23 May, Saleh refused to sign the agreement, leading to renewed protests and the withdrawal of the Gulf Cooperation Council from mediation efforts in Yemen.
Assassination attempt and resignation
On 3 June 2011, Saleh was injured in a bomb attack on his presidential compound. Multiple C-4 (explosive) charges were planted inside the mosque and one exploded when the president and major members of his government were praying. The explosion killed four bodyguards and injured the prime minister, deputy prime ministers, head of the Parliament, governor of Sanaa and many more.
On 4 June 2011, Vice President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi was appointed as acting President, while Saleh remained the President of Yemen.
On 23 September 2011, Yemeni state-television announced that Saleh had returned to the country after three months
On 27 February 2012, Saleh formally ceded power to his deputy Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and stepped down as the President of Yemen, pledging to support efforts to "rebuild" the country still reeling from months of violence.
Post-presidency
In February 2013, Saleh opened a museum documenting his 33 years in power, located in a wing of the Al-Saleh Mosque in Sanaa. One of the museum's central display cases exhibits a pair of burnt trousers that Saleh was wearing at the time of his assassination attempt in June 2011. Other displays include fragments of shrapnel that were taken out of his body during his hospital treatment in Saudi Arabia, as well as various gifts given to Saleh by kings, presidents and world leaders over the course of his rule.
Death
On 4 December 2017, Saleh's house in Sana'a was assaulted by fighters of the Houthi movement, according to residents. Saleh was killed on his way to Ma'rib while trying to flee into Saudi-controlled territories after a rocket-propelled grenade struck and disabled his vehicle in an ambush and he was subsequently shot in the head by a Houthi sniper, something his party denied.
On 9 December 2017 he was buried in Sana'a, according to an official. According to a Houthi commander, the burial was held in strict conditions with no more than 20 people attending.
Why do i admire him?
Despite the fact that people call him a dictator, i admire his strong personality. The way he rised up to power through his own efforts and skills is something that really let me strongly have a strong believe that none can do better in this country better than him.
As far as it concerns relating to leaders and leadership, he was the only Arabian president described for his strong and tough deeds by his opposites.
Taking the country lead for more than three decades make him stronger and stronger and more rooted in the government which make opposites expect that he won't easily step down through ellection.
Having such a vast cultural difference in Yemen, it's not easy for anyone to balance between authority and leadership.
Being with people and closely working with them through different ministers in the country and tribe meetings from the other side.
After his death, supporters and opposites regret his death.
RESOURCES:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Abdullah_Saleh
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