North Yemen's last president and unified Yemen's first head of state
In May 1988 North and South agreed to ease tensions, demilitarize the border, create a joint oil exploration area and allow passage on a national ID card, and in November 1989 they agreed in Aden on a 1981 draft unity constitution, leading to the declaration of the Republic of Yemen on 22 May 1990.
Yemeni military officer and politician. He joined the army in 1958, was commissioned in 1963 and fought in the North Yemen civil war, served as military governor of Taiz in 1977, and became president of North Yemen in 1978. He held that post until the North-South unification on 22 May 1990, then served as president of the Republic of Yemen until his resignation in 2012. He ruled autocratically from 1994, allied with the Houthis after the 2011 Yemeni revolution, broke with them in late 2017, and was killed on 4 December 2017.
Career Timeline
- 1958Joined the army
- 1963Commissioned as an officer, fought in the North Yemen civil war
- 1977Military governor of Taiz
- 1978.06Joined the provisional presidency council after Ahmad al-Ghashmi's assassination
- 1978.07–1990.05President of North Yemen (Yemen Arab Republic)
- 1990–2012President of the unified Republic of Yemen; handed over power in November 2011 and left office in February 2012