Saleh Ali al-Sammad
Saleh Ali al-Sammad Template:Rtl-lang | |
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President of the Supreme Political Council of Yemen | |
In office 15 August 2016 – 19 April 2018 | |
Prime Minister | Talal Aklan (Acting) Abdel-Aziz bin Habtour |
Deputy | Qassem Labozah |
Preceded by | Mohammed Ali al-Houthi (President of the Revolutionary Committee) |
Succeeded by | Mahdi al-Mashat (Acting) |
Personal details | |
Born | Bani Ma'az, Sahar District, North Yemen (now Yemen) | 1 January 1979
Died | 19 April 2018[1] Al Hudaydah Governorate, Yemen | (aged 39)
Cause of death | LJ-7 missile[2] |
Alma mater | Sana'a University |
Military service | |
Allegiance | Houthis |
Battles/wars | Houthi insurgency in Yemen |
*Sammad's term has been disputed by Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. | |
Saleh Ali al-Sammad (Arabic: صالح علي الصماد; 1 January 1979 – 19 April 2018[3]) was a Yemeni political figure from the Houthi movement who served as the president of Yemen's Supreme Political Council until his death.
On April 23, 2018, Houthi officials announced al-Sammad was killed in a Saudi-led coalition drone airstrike.[4][5]
Political career
Saleh Ali al-Sammad was born in Bani Ma'az in Yemen's Sahar District on 1 January 1979.[6]
He was appointed in September 2014 to serve as a political adviser to President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi.[7]
Al-Sammad struck a conciliatory posture during and after the 2014–15 coup. In November 2014, after the Houthis withdrew from Yemen's "unity government", he expressed support for most of Hadi's cabinet choices, including Prime Minister Khaled Bahah.[7]
As of February 2015, after the Houthi takeover of the government, he was described as "the senior Houthi leader in Sana'a".[8]
In February 2015, al-Sammad said the Houthis hoped for normal relations with the United States and other countries and suggested that the group was interested in sharing power with other political factions, potentially including members of the deposed House of Representatives in a new, 551-member parliament.[8]
On 6 August 2016, al-Sammad became head of the Supreme Political Council.[9] He was sworn in on 14 August.[10]
On 15 August 2016, the Supreme Revolutionary Committee handed power to the Supreme Political Council.[11]
Death
On 23 April 2018, Al-Samad was killed by a drone attack orchestrated by the Saudi led coalition. He was the most senior Houthi official to be killed.
Abdul-Malik Badreddin al-Houthi, the top leader of the Houthi movement, stated that "the forces of aggression, led by America and Saudi Arabia, bear the legal responsibility for this crime and all its consequences."[12]
References
- ^ الجزيرة - عاجل [@AJABreaking] (23 April 2018). "عاجل | جماعة الحوثي تعلن مقتل صالح الصماد رئيس المجلس السياسي التابع للحوثيين" (Tweet) (in Arabic). Retrieved 24 April 2018 – via Twitter.
- ^ https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/04/27/drone-wars-how-the-uaes-chinese-made-drone-is-changing-the-war-in-yemen/
- ^ "Houthi political chief Saleh al-Sammad killed in Saudi air raids". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
- ^ "Yemen war: Houthi political leader 'killed in air raid'". BBC. 23 April 2018. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
- ^ "قناة العربية: مقتل القيادي الحوثي صالح الصماد في غارة جوية للتحالف". kuna.net.kw (in Arabic). Retrieved 24 April 2018.
- ^ "Biography of political leader of the Supreme Council, "Saleh Al-samad"". Yemen Press. Archived from the original on 2017-12-05. Retrieved 2017-06-07.
{{cite web}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ a b "Yemen's Houthi group endorse new government: presidential aide". Reuters. 13 November 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
- ^ a b "U.S. Embassy Shuts in Yemen, Even as Militant Leader Reaches Out". The New York Times. 10 February 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
- ^ "Political Council formed, al-Sammad President". Saba.ye. Retrieved 2017-06-07.
- ^ "SPC sworn on". Saba News. Retrieved 2017-06-07.
- ^ "SRC hands over authority to SPC". Saba News. Retrieved 2017-06-07.
- ^ Rashad, Marwa. "Saudi-led air strike kills top Houthi official in Yemen". U.S. Retrieved 2018-04-28.