Ali Abdullah Saleh Quotes

Ali Abdullah Saleh was a Yemeni politician who served as President of the Yemen Arab Republic from July 1978, after the assassination of President Ahmad al-Ghashmi, to 22 May 1990, when he became the first President of Yemen following Yemeni unification. He led the country until his resignation on 25 February 2012 following the Yemeni Revolution. Often described as a dictator, he has been accused of plundering billions of dollars from the poorest Arab nation during his two decades in power.Saleh oversaw his country's development of deeper ties with Western powers, especially the United States, 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.

In May 2015, Saleh openly allied with the Houthis during the Yemeni Civil War, in which a protest movement and subsequent insurgency succeeded in capturing Yemen's capital, Sana'a, causing President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi to resign and flee the country. In December 2017, he declared his withdrawal from his coalition with the Houthis, and instead sided with his former enemies – Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and President Hadi. However, accused of treason by the Houthis, he 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.

✵ 21. March 1947 – 4. December 2017
Ali Abdullah Saleh photo
Ali Abdullah Saleh: 3   quotes 0   likes

Famous Ali Abdullah Saleh Quotes

“You should continue carrying your arms, ready to sacrifice your lives in defence against these belligerent attacks”

Referring to the Houthis (members of a rebel group) in Yemen, as quoted in "Will the Houthis abandon Ali Abdullah Saleh?" at english.alarabiya.net (4 June 2015) http://english.alarabiya.net/en/views/news/middle-east/2015/06/04/Will-the-Houthis-abandon-Ali-Abdullah-Saleh-.html

“Yemen is an essential partner of the United States of America and the international community in combating terror.”

Source: President Bush Welcomes President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen to the White House (May 2007) http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2007/05/20070502-3.html#

“Ruling Yemen is hard. I always say it’s like dancing on the heads of snakes”

The Man Who Danced on the Heads of Snakes Dec 2017) https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/07/opinion/sunday/yemen-saleh-death-legacy.html

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