Ali Abdullah Saleh

Ali Abdullah Saleh (علي عبدالله صالح; born 21 March 1947 – 4 December 2017) was a Yemeni politician. 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). He was the longest-serving president of Yemen, ruling since 1978. On February 2, 2011, he announced that he would step down in 2013.

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