Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh al-Ahmar ( ar, أحمد علي عبد الله صالح الأحمر; born July 25, 1972) is the eldest son of former

Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...

i president

Ali Abdullah Saleh Ali Abdullah Saleh al-Ahmar (, ''ʿAlī ʿAbdullāh Ṣāliḥ al-Aḥmar;'' 21 March 1947There is a dispute as to Saleh's date of birth, some saying that it was on 21 March 1942. See: However, by Saleh's own confession, he was born in 1947 al ...

, and was a commander of approximately 80,000 troops of the

Republican Guard A republican guard, sometimes called a national guard, is a state organization of a country (often a republic, hence the name ''Republican'') which typically serves to protect the head of state and the government, and thus is often synonymous wit ...

unit of the

Yemeni Army The Armed Forces of Yemen ( ar, الْقُوَّاتُ الْمُسَلَّحَةُ الْيَّمَّنِيَّة, Al-Quwwat Al-Musallahah Al-Yamaniyah) are the military forces of the Republic of Yemen. They include the Yemeni Army (including ...

. On April 14, 2015, the

United States Department of the Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and ...

's Office of Foreign Assets Control added Saleh to the list of Specially Designated Nationals, barring US citizens and businesses from interacting with Saleh or his assets.

Early life

Ahmed's mother died when he was a young boy. Before his father's resignation, Ahmed was widely seen as was being groomed to eventually replace him.

Corruption

In 2008, business people with close ties to Ahmed Saleh, reportedly used

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...

funds to found Shibam Holding Company, a government-backed property developer. This new firm took control of a great deal of government land and, later, of the General Investment Authority (GIA).

Military career

On December 15, 2012, amid tensions between Republican Guard units and President

Hadi Hadi or Hady ( ar, هادي) is an Arabic masculine given name and surname. Al-Hadi is one of the 99 names of God in Islam meaning ''guide'' (from the Arabic triconsonantal root ; also present in hidayah). Given name Hadi * Hadi Saei (born 1976), ...

, Brig. Gen. Ahmed Saleh refused to relinquish control of long-range missiles to the Defence Ministry, stoking fears of further clashing. On December 19, President Hadi responded by issuing decrees announcing a restructuring of the military into four main branches including the land forces, the navy, the air force, and the border forces, effectively dissolving the Republican Guard and rendering Ahmed Saleh's position unnecessary. This was widely seen as an effort on President Hadi's part to weaken the influence of Yemen's political and military elite. Though no longer in command of the Republican Guard, Ahmed Saleh apparently remains a part of the military, but in what capacity it is unclear. As recently as February 3, 2013, National Yemen newspaper reported him as having met with both President Hadi and the remaining leadership of the Republican Guard.

Post-military career

Saleh was sworn in as Yemen's Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates by President

Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi ( ar, عبدربه منصور هادي, translit=ʿAbd Rabbih Manṣūr Hādī Yemeni pronunciation: ; born 1 September 1945) is a Yemeni politician and former field marshal of the Yemeni Armed Forces who served as the pres ...

on 19 May 2013. The ceremony was also attended by UAE President

Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan ( ar,  خليفة بن زايد بن سلطان آل نهيان‎; 7 September 1948 – 13 May 2022) was the second president of the United Arab Emirates and the ruler of Abu Dhabi, serving from ...

, Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi, and the Secretary-General of the Presidency of the Republic, Dr. Ali Mansour bin Svaa. Nahyan emphasized the importance of Saleh's appointment as part of efforts to maintain close relations between the two countries. President Hadi had announced Ahmed’s dismissal on 29 March 2015, following the outbreak of the Yemeni Civil War. Saleh and his father were initially allied with the

Houthis The Houthi movement (; ar, ٱلْحُوثِيُّون ''al-Ḥūthīyūn'' ), officially called Ansar Allah (' ''Partisans of God'' or ''Supporters of God'') and colloquially simply Houthis, is an Islamist political and armed movement that ...

, which are fighting against forces loyal to Hadi. The UAE terminated Saleh's ambassadorship on 7 April 2015 and revoked his diplomatic immunity. He was reported to have been placed under house arrest in his residence in Abu Dhabi. After his father was killed by the Houthis in 2017, Ahmed Saleh declared his animosity against the Houthis. As of May 2018, Saleh was living in his residence in Abu Dhabi and was reported to have intensified efforts to garner support from former senior members of the General People's Congress against the Houthis.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saleh, Ahmed Living people General People's Congress (Yemen) politicians Yemeni Zaydis People of the Yemeni Revolution 1972 births Sons of national leaders Ambassadors of Yemen to the United Arab Emirates Yemeni military personnel of the Yemeni Civil War (2014–present) Saleh family People from Sanaa