Abdullah al-Sallal

Abdullah as-Sallal
President of Yemen Arab Republic
In office 26 September 1962 – 5 November 1967
Prime Minister	Himself Abdul Latif Dayfallah Abdul Rahman al-Iryani Hassan al-Amri Hamoud al-Gayifi Hassan al-Amri Ahmad Muhammad Numan Hassan al-Amri
Preceded by	Position established(Muhammad al-Badr As king and Imam Of Yemen)
Succeeded by	Abdul Rahman al-Iryani
Prime Minister of Yemen Arab Republic
In office 28 September 1962 – 26 April 1963
President	Himself
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Abdul Latif Dayfallah
In office 6 July 1965 – 21 July 1965
President	Himself
Preceded by	Ahmad Muhammad Numan
Succeeded by	Hassan al-Amri
In office 18 September 1966 – 5 November 1967
President	Himself
Preceded by	Hassan al-Amri
Succeeded by	Mohsin Ahmad al-Aini
Personal details
Born	9 January 1917 San'a, Yemen
Died	5 March 1994 (aged 77) San'a, Yemen
Political party	None (Military)
Religion	Islam

Abdullah al-Sallal in a military display March 1963

Abdullah al-Sallal (January 9, 1917 – March 5, 1994) (Arabic: عبد الله السلال‎) was the leader of the North Yemeni Revolution of 1962. He served as the first President of the Yemen Arab Republic from 27 September 1962 to 5 November 1967.

Early life

Al-Sallal was born in the village of Sha'asan, Sanhan district, the son of a Yemeni farmer whose origins trace back to the Al Jawf tribes. His father died when he was at a young age. Al-Sallal joined the only orphanage in San'a, known as the Orphan School, which later became famous for raising many of Yemen's greatest patriots and some of the most influential politicians of that era.

Though not a member of the social elite in Yemen, Al-Sallal was widely respected by the military community as a competent and brazen officer.

Political career

Al-Sallal led the revolutionary forces that deposed King Muhammad al-Badr and brought the Mutawakkalite Kingdom of Yemen to an end. He presided over the newly founded Yemen Arab Republic (YAR), with close ties to Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt which served as the YAR's strongest ally in the war against the Saudi Arabian-backed Mutawakkalite royalists that lasted into 1968. Yemen's President Abdullah al-Sallal negotiated with tribal leaders after the revolution to help cement the republic, he was later ousted in a bloodless coup led by Abdul Rahman Al-Iryani.

Six different men held the position of Prime Minister under as-Sallal, including al-Sallal himself three times. He held both titles from the formation of the republic until 26 April 1963, when he appointed Abdul Latif Dayfallah, as well as briefly in 1965 and from 18 September 1966 until the end of his presidency. Abdul Rahman al-Iryani, as-Sallal's successor to the presidency in 1967, served as Prime Minister in 1963 and 1964. Hassan al-Amri held the post three times.

References