Ahmad bin Hussein al-Ghashmi (21 August 1935 – 24 June 1978) () was a Yemeni military officer who served as the fourth

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the

Yemen Arab Republic The Yemen Arab Republic (YAR; ', ), commonly known as North Yemen or Yemen (Sanaʽa), was a country that existed from 1962 until its Yemeni unification, unification with the South Yemen, People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (commonly known as ...

(North Yemen) from 11 October 1977 until his assassination eight months later. Al-Ghashmi had assumed power when his predecessor,

Ibrahim al-Hamdi Ibrahim al-Hamdi (30 September 1943 – 11 October 1977) () was a Yemeni military officer who served as the third President of the Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen) from 13 June 1974 until his assassination on 11 October 1977. During his rule, h ...

, was likewise assassinated.

Early life and career

Ahmed al-Ghashmi was born on 21 August 1935 in

Hamdan District Hamdan District () is a Districts of Yemen, district of the Sana'a Governorate, Yemen. , the district had a population of 85,370 inhabitants. It is named after the ancient Yemeni tribe of Banu Hamdan, Hamdan. Populated places (incomplete list) * ...

Sanaa Governorate Sanaa ( '), also spelled San'a or Sana, is a governorate of Yemen. Its capital is Sanaa, which is also the national capital. However, the city of Sanaa is not part of the governorate but instead forms the separate governorate of Amanat Al-Asema ...

, North Yemen. According to some sources he was born in 1938, but according to others he was born in 1941. After the

coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...

of September 26, 1962 and the subsequent outbreak of the

North Yemen Civil War The North Yemen civil war, also known as the 26 September revolution, was a civil war fought in North Yemen from 1962 to 1970 between partisans of the Kingdom of Yemen, Mutawakkilite Kingdom and supporters of the Yemen Arab Republic. The war ...

(1962-1970) began. Al-Gashmi defected to the republican side of

Abdullah al-Sallal Abdullah Yahya al-Sallal (; 9 January 1917 – 5 March 1994) was a Yemeni military officer who was the leader of the North Yemeni Revolution of 1962 and served as the first President of the Yemen Arab Republic from 27 September 1962 until his ...

against the royalists under

Muhammad al-Badr Muhammad Al-Badr (15 February 1926 – 6 August 1996) was the last king and Zaidi Imam of the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen (North Yemen) and leader of the monarchist regions during the North Yemen Civil War (1962–1970). His full name wa ...

. In 1974, al-Ghashmi allied himself with Ibrahim al-Hamdi and other officers in opposition to President

Abdul Rahman al-Eryani Abdul Rahman Yahya al-Eryani (; 10 June 1910 – 14 March 1998) was a Yemeni politician who served as the second President of the Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen) from 5 November 1967 to 13 June 1974. Originally a leader of the Free Yemeni Mov ...

. This resulted in a coup d'état known as the June 13th Movement, which led to the overthrow of the government and the establishment of a

Military Command Council The Military Command Council or MCC (Arabic: مجلس القيادة العسكرية) was a Nasserism, Nasserist military junta consisted of seven Officer (armed forces), military officers, that ruled the Yemen Arab Republic from 1974 until its ...

, which al-Ghashmi joined. By the time

was president of North Yemen, al-Gashmi was vice president of the Leadership Council and Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces. On 11 October 1977, al-Hamdi was assassinated and al-Ghashmi took over the country. A man believed to be a Saudi agent was accused of assassinating the president. Al-Gashmi himself was also suspected.

Activities as President

President al-Ghashmi reinstated the 1970 Constitution, which had previously been suspended by al-Hamdi, the country's previous President, in 1974. However, an important body such as the Consultative Council was not reinstated, and at the same time the office of the President was introduced. The presidency was restored on 22 April 1978, when the Constituent People's Assembly approved the abolition of the Military Command Council and appointed al-Ghashmi as president. He appointed

Ali Abdullah Saleh Ali Abdullah Saleh Affash (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 (an interview recorded in a YouTube video), he was born in 1947.4 Decembe ...

as military governor in

Taiz Taiz () is a city in southwestern Yemen. It is located in the Yemeni highlands, near the port city of Mocha on the Red Sea, at an elevation of about above sea level. It is the capital of Taiz Governorate. As of 2023, the city has an estimated p ...

, who became the next president.

Death

His assassination occurred on 24 June 1978 when he was meeting an envoy sent by

People's Democratic Republic of Yemen South Yemen, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, abbreviated to Democratic Yemen, was a country in South Arabia that existed in what is now southeast Yemen from 1967 until its unification with the Yemen Arab Republic in 19 ...

President,

Salim Rubai Ali Salim Rubaya Ali (; 17 June 1934 – 26 June 1978), commonly known by his nickname Salemin (), was a Yemeni Maoist politician and revolutionary who served as the second head of state of the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (South Yemen) from ...

. A briefcase, reportedly containing a secret message, exploded, killing both al-Ghashmi and the envoy. It is not conclusively known who set off the explosion. Coincidentally, Rubai Ali died in a coup three days after this event.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghashmi, Ahmad Bin Hussein al- 1935 births 1978 deaths Presidents of North Yemen Assassinated Yemeni politicians People murdered in Yemen People from Sanaa Governorate Deaths by explosive device Assassinated presidents in Asia Asian politicians assassinated in the 1970s Politicians assassinated in 1978

Early life and career

Activities as President

Death

See also

References