Mohammed Ali al-Ahwal
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Mohammed Ali Mohsen al-Ahwal ( ar, محمد علي محسن الأحول) (12 December 1950 – 13 December 2013) was a
Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...
i banker and diplomat who headed the Central Bank of Yemen from 1985 to 1995, and held various other senior government positions. He was Ambassador to Saudi Arabia between 2005 and 2012. In March 2011 he publicly sided with the youth protesters who were demanding a change of government during the
Yemeni Revolution The Yemeni Revolution ( intifada), also known as the Yemeni Revolution of Dignity followed the initial stages of the Tunisian Revolution and occurred simultaneously with the Egyptian Revolution of 2011 and other Arab Spring protests in the ...
.


Early life and education

Al-Ahwal was born in Bayhan District, Yemen on 12 December 1950. He was from the Almusobein tribe of
Ain District Ain District is a district of the Shabwah Governorate in Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and b ...
of Shabwa. Al-Ahwal attended elementary and middle school in Yemen, then moved to
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
to pursue his secondary education and university studies. He graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce and Economics degree from
Ain Shams University Ain Shams University ( ar, جامعة عين شمس) is a public university located in Cairo, Egypt. Founded in 1950, the university provides education at the undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate levels. History Ain Shams University was fou ...
in 1974. He also earned a degree in Finance and Economics from the
University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottawa ...
in Canada and received a certificate from the
International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster globa ...
in Washington. His study areas included finance policies, financing, central and commercial banking, computing and investment.


Career

In 1975 al-Ahwal obtained a position in the
Central Bank of Yemen The Central Bank of Yemen ( ar, البنك المركزي اليمني) is the central bank of Yemen. The Bank is engaged in developing policies to promote financial inclusion and is a member of the Alliance for Financial Inclusion. The Centra ...
. He served as Director General of the bank from 1985 to 1995. Al-Ahwal was a member of the General Committee of the General People's Congress from 1990 to 1998. He was a member of the Presidential Council from 1991 to 1994. In 1992 he was promoted to Deputy Prime Minister (Finance). Al-Ahwal received the Order of Yemeni Unity in 1994. He was in charge of land and real estate in Yemen between 1995 and 1998. Al-Ahwal was appointed Consul General in
Jeddah Jeddah ( ), also spelled Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; ar, , Jidda, ), is a city in the Hejaz region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the country's commercial center. Established in the 6th century BC as a fishing village, Jeddah's pro ...
, Saudi Arabia from 1998 until 2005, with ambassadorial rank. From 2002 to 2005 he was dean of the consular corps in Jeddah. Al-Ahwal was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Yemen to Saudi Arabia by presidential decree of 19 November 2005. He was also Permanent Representative to the
Organization of the Islamic Conference An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose. The word is derived from ...
in Jeddah, and Yemen's ambassador to the General Secretariat of the
Gulf Cooperation Council The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf ( ar, مجلس التعاون لدول العربية الخليج ), also known as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC; ar, مجلس التعاون الخليجي), is a regional, interg ...
. One of the issues he had to deal with was the condition of camps in Saudi Arabia of Yemenis displaced by the fighting between the Yemeni government and the
Houthis The Houthi movement (; ar, ٱلْحُوثِيُّون ''al-Ḥūthīyūn'' ), officially called Ansar Allah (' ''Partisans of God'' or ''Supporters of God'') and colloquially simply Houthis, is an Islamist political and armed movement that ...
. The Saudis were refusing to aid refugees and turning them back to Yemen. In a meeting in Riyadh in April 2010 to discuss this issue with Abdul Rahman bin Hamad Al Attiyah, secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Al-Ahwal was assured that the
Arab states of the Persian Gulf The Arab states of the Persian Gulf refers to a group of Arab states which border the Persian Gulf. There are seven member states of the Arab League in the region: Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. ...
saw Yemen's security as part of their security. On 21 March 2011 ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' reported that al-Ahwal had resigned in sympathy with the youth revolution in Yemen. According to ''
Al Jazeera Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...
'', Ahwal had said "I announce my support for the youth revolution, and for change in Yemen" but his statement did not make it clear whether he was leaving his post or resigning from Saleh's ruling party. The protesters were demanding the departure of President
Ali Abdullah Saleh Ali Abdullah Saleh al-Ahmar (, ''ʿAlī ʿAbdullāh Ṣāliḥ al-Aḥmar;'' 21 March 1947There is a dispute as to Saleh's date of birth, some saying that it was on 21 March 1942. See: However, by Saleh's own confession, he was born in 1947 al ...
. Al-Ahwal's statement followed similar steps from dozens of military and tribal leaders in Yemen. The Yemeni ambassador in Egypt, Abdul-Wali al-Shameri, said that the ambassadors who had announced they were joining the rebels would continue to represent the Yemeni people in Egypt and the
Arab League The Arab League ( ar, الجامعة العربية, ' ), formally the League of Arab States ( ar, جامعة الدول العربية, '), is a regional organization in the Arab world, which is located in Northern Africa, Western Africa, E ...
. In April 2013 it was reported that al-Ahwal had been recalled from his post as acting ambassador to Saudi Arabia after the signature of a memorandum of understanding on Yemeni expatriates with Saudi recruitment firms. The Saudi authorities were escalating efforts to deport Yemeni workers who were not covered by contracts. There was some confusion over whether the report reflected the official Yemeni position. It was reported that Al-Ahwal had resigned seven months earlier and was now based in Sanaa.


Death

Al-Ahwal died at dawn on Friday 13 December 2013 at the
King Faisal Specialist Hospital The King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre ( ar, مستشفى الملك فيصل التخصصي ومركز الأبحاث) (KFSH&RC) is tertiary referral hospital in Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia. Overview As a tertiary ...
in
Riyadh Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the R ...
, to which he had been admitted several days earlier. He was aged 63. His body was taken to the Yemeni capital of
Sana'a Sanaa ( ar, صَنْعَاء, ' , Yemeni Arabic: ; Old South Arabian: 𐩮𐩬𐩲𐩥 ''Ṣnʿw''), also spelled Sana'a or Sana, is the capital and largest city in Yemen and the centre of Sanaa Governorate. The city is not part of the Governo ...
. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs organized a memorial service for him under the patronage of President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, President of the Republic, attended by many diplomats, politicians and public figures. He was praised for his work in assisting Yemeni expatriates in Saudi Arabia and his role in the development of relations between Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Ali Abdullah Saleh, President of the General People's Congress, was among those who sent telegrams of condolences.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahwal, Mohammed Yemeni accountants Ambassadors of Yemen to Saudi Arabia 1950 births 2013 deaths Ain Shams University alumni University of Ottawa alumni People from Shabwah Governorate 20th-century Yemeni people 21st-century Yemeni people