Monday, December 04, 2017

Ali Abdullah Saleh, Ex-President of Yemen, Is Said to Have Died

Photo
Former president Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen at a rally with his supporters in Sana, Yemen, in August. Credit Mohammed Huwais/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
SWEIMEH, Jordan — Ali Abdullah Saleh, the ousted strongman who once governed Yemen and then conspired with Iranian-backed rebels to claw his way back to power, was killed on Monday in the nation’s capital, Sana, according to multiple reports from rival factions clashing there.
The death of Mr. Saleh is likely to add to escalating tensions between the two regional heavyweights, Saudi Arabia and Iran, who have clashed indirectly through the Yemeni fighting.
His demise removes one of the wiliest and best-connected players in Yemeni politics, further diminishing hopes of an imminent resolution to the catastrophic civil war that has gripped Yemen for more than two years. It could easily kick off new violence between his supporters and the Iran-allied Houthi faction, which recently fought alongside Mr. Saleh and his supporters but had previously fought against them.
The reports of Mr. Saleh’s death, after an explosion at his family’s compound, came just two days after he appeared to switch sides for the second time between Saudi-allied and Iran-linked factions in Yemen. As president, Mr. Saleh had been a close ally of both Saudi Arabia and the United States, which considered him a partner in the fight against Al Qaeda’s affiliate in Yemen and a bulwark against the influence of Iran through its allies, the Houthi.
After he was removed from office in 2011 in a deal to end the Arab Spring uprising in Yemen, however, Mr. Saleh struck an alliance with the Houthis. In 2015, forces loyal to him helped the Houthis seize control of the capital and much of the country. In retaliation, Saudi Arabia, backed by the United Arab Emirates and with help from Washington, launched an air campaign and a blockade against the rebel group.
Photo
A still from a video provided on Monday by Houthi rebels reportedly showing the body of Ali Abdullah Saleh, the former president of Yemen. Credit Houthi rebels, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
But on Saturday, Mr. Saleh appeared to change teams once more. In a televised speech, he blamed the “idiocy” of the Shiite Houthis for the years of war in Yemen. He said he was ready to turn a “new page” in his relationship with the Saudi-led coalition if its forces ceased attacking Yemen.
Continue reading the main story
Which side may have bombed Mr. Saleh’s house — Houthis angry at his betrayal or the Saudi-led bombing campaign — and the exact circumstances surrounding his death were not immediately clear. There were unconfirmed reports that he had been killed while trying to flee the city.
The Interior Ministry, which is controlled by Houthi rebels, reported that Mr. Saleh had been killed, and a video circulated online that purported to show the former president’s body, although it could not be independently verified.
Ali al-Bukhaiti, a Yemeni politician who is well connected with Mr. Saleh’s party, the General People’s Congress, also said the president had died. “The news is 100 percent true,” he said.
Ahmad al-Hawati, a resident of Sana, was told by relatives living near Mr. Saleh’s complex that it had been bombed by rebels, and an official in the General People’s Congress also said the complex, on a busy street, had been bombed. The official declined to be identified by name because he had not been authorized to speak to reporters.
Saleh had been known for years as a shrewd and dogged survivor of Yemen’s tangled, tribal politics. He once compared his years in office to “dancing on the heads of snakes.”
Photo
Houthi fighters outside the residence of Mr. Saleh in Sana, the capital of Yemen, on Monday. Credit Mohammed Huwais/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
In the latest fighting, he was initially allied with the Houthis, themselves loosely aligned with Iran, but the relationship became fissured and he seemed to be tilting to the Saudis.
“I call upon the brothers in neighboring states and the alliance to stop their aggression, lift the siege, open the airports and allow food aid and the saving of the wounded,” he said in the televised speech, “and we will turn a new page by virtue of our neighborliness.”
The Saudi-led coalition seemed to welcome his remarks. A statement on the Saudi-owned news outlet Al Hadath said the coalition was “confident of the will of the leaders and sons” of Mr. Saleh’s political party to effect a rapprochement.
The weekend maneuvering came as Mr. Saleh’s supporters fought Houthi adversaries for a fourth day in Sana. At least 80 people were reported killed as the fighting threatened to escalate.
On Sunday, Houthi rebels said they had fired a cruise missile at a $20 billion nuclear facility under construction in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, which is allied with Saudi Arabia. But a state-run news agency in the United Arab Emirates denied the assertion.
The fighting in Yemen has been accompanied by signs of famine and outbreaks of cholera as humanitarian conditions have sharply deteriorated.

No comments:

Twitter Updates

Search This Blog

Total Pageviews