Mahmoud Al-Subaihi
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Lieutenant General Mahmoud Ahmed Salem al-Subaihi (born 1948; ) is a
Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...
i military officer currently serving as an advisor to the chairman of the
Presidential Leadership Council The Presidential Leadership Council (PLC; ) is the executive body of Yemen's internationally recognized government, formed on 7 April 2022. It is chaired by Rashad al-Alimi and has a membership of eight, including representatives from Southe ...
for Defense and Security Affairs. He was previously appointed Minister of Defense in President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi's government in November 2014 before resigning along with most other government officials in January 2015 in response to the Houthi takeover of Yemen.


Early life and education

Subaihi was born in 1948 in the town of Huwaireb in al-Mudharaba and Ras al-Ara district,
Lahij Governorate Lahij ( ) is a governorate of Yemen. Geography Adjacent governorates * Taiz Governorate (northwest) * Dhale Governorate (north) * Abyan Governorate (east) * Aden Governorate (south) Districts Lahij Governorate is divided into the following 15 ...
. He earned a
bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...
in
military science Military science is the study of military processes, institutions, and behavior, along with the study of warfare, and the theory and application of organized coercive force. It is mainly focused on theory, method, and practice of producing mi ...
from the Military College in
Aden Aden () is a port city located in Yemen in the southern part of the Arabian peninsula, on the north coast of the Gulf of Aden, positioned near the eastern approach to the Red Sea. It is situated approximately 170 km (110 mi) east of ...
in 1976 before travelling to the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
to study at the
Frunze Military Academy The M. V. Frunze Military Academy (), or in full the Military Order of Lenin and the October Revolution, Red Banner, Order of Suvorov Academy in the name of M. V. Frunze (), was a military academy of the Soviet and later the Russian Armed Forces ...
in 1978. He received a
master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...
in military science from the academy in 1982, before completing a command and staff course at the academy in 1988.


Career


1976–1994

Subaihi first served as Director of the Office at the Ministry of Defense in Aden between 1976 and 1978. After receiving his master's degree, he was then appointed chief of staff of the Muallem Brigade based in the Bayhan district of
Shabwa Governorate Shabwah () is a governorate (province) of Yemen. Its main town is Ataq. It was named after the ancient south Arabian city of Shabwa. During the Yemeni Civil War in 2015, the province became a battleground. The battle, known as the Shabwah Camp ...
from 1982 to 1986 before commanding the 25th Mechanised Brigade from 1986 to 1988. His appointment came amid the
South Yemen civil war The South Yemeni crisis, colloquially referred to in Yemen as the events of '86, was a failed coup d'etat and brief civil war which took place on January 13, 1986, in South Yemen. The civil war developed as a result of ideological differences, ...
. In 1988, he was promoted to the rank of Staff Major. Subaihi was the commander of the Military College in Aden from 1988 to 1990, and then became Deputy Director of the Military College from 1990 to 1993. Subaihi was reappointed commander of the 25th Mechanised Brigade from 1993 to 1994. His brigade participated in the 1994 Yemeni civil war fighting for the seccessionst
Democratic Republic of Yemen The Democratic Republic of Yemen ( '), was a short-lived breakaway state that fought against the mainland Yemen in the 1994 Yemeni Civil War. It was declared in May 1994 and covered all of the former South Yemen. The DRY, with its capital in ...
under its President
Ali Salem al-Beidh Ali Salem al-Beidh (; born 10 February 1939) is a Yemeni Maoist politician who served as the General Secretary of the Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP) in South Yemen and as Vice President of Yemen following the unification in 1990. He left the unifi ...
.


Exile

After the conclusion of the war, Subaihi along with other defeated secessionists left Yemen for
Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...
. According to the ''
al-Arab ''Al-Arab'' or ''Alarab'' ( meaning ''The Arabs'') is a pan-Arab newspaper published from London, England, and sold in a number of countries. History and profile The paper was launched in London on 1 June 1977, as a secular pan-Arab daily. A ...
'' newspaper, Subaihi began a new life after his exile from Yemen. He travelled to the city of
Jubail Jubail (, ''Al Jubayl'') is a city in the Eastern province on the Persian Gulf coast of Saudi Arabia, with a total population of 474,679 as of 2022. It is home to one of the largest industrial cities in the world. It is also home to the Middle ...
in Eastern Province,
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
, where he worked as a document copyist. He then rose through the ranks to become a taxi driver, then a dispatcher. He later found work with a Russian company in
Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
using his fluency in
Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...
. He eventually became a cashier for a major telecommunications company in
Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...
, where he spent the longest period of his exile until his return to Yemen in 2009.


Return

Subaihi returned following mediation with a former military officer who was then a close friend to President
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 ...
. Upon his return, Subaihi resumed his military career as an advisor to the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces in 2010, when he was also promoted to the rank of major general. On 12 March 2011, Saleh issued a decree appointing Subaihi as Commander of the al-Anad Axis, the Anad Base and the 201st Mechanised Brigade. The brigade remained loyal to Saleh throughout the
Yemeni revolution The Yemeni revolution (or Yemeni intifada) followed the initial stages of the Tunisian revolution and occurred simultaneously with the 2011 Egyptian revolution and other Arab Spring, Arab Spring protests in the Middle East and North Africa. ...
. Subaihi and his brigade came to prominence for battling the
al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula ( or : Tanẓīm Qā‘idat al-Jihād fī Jazīrat al-‘Arab, . Organization of Jihad's Base in the Arabian Peninsula), or AQAP is a Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamic extremism, Islamist militant organization which s ...
-affiliated
Ansar al-Sharia Ansar al-Sharia or Ansar al-Shariah is a name used by a collection of radical or militant Islamist groups or militias, in at least eight countries. While they share names and ideology, they lack a unified command structure. *Ansar al-Sharia (Yemen ...
as they capitalized on the chaos of the revolution to seize territory in
Abyan Governorate Abyan ( ) is a governorates of Yemen, governorate of Yemen. The Abyan region was historically part of the Fadhli Sultanate. It was a base to the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army militant group. Its Capital (political), capital is the city of Zinjibar. ...
during the year. In April 2013, President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi appointed Subaihi as Commander of the Fourth Military Region. His role would have him oversee and lead the 2014 offensive in southern Yemen against al-Qaeda.


Minister of Defense

After the Houthis took over Sanaa in September 2014, President Hadi, in need of a trusted and universally respected Defence Minister, appointed Subaihi as Minister of Defense in his 7 November cabinet shuffle, which was meant as an attempt to defuse tensions in the nation. Subaihi's appointment has retrospectively been seen as a mistake on the part of Hadi, as his previous position as Fourth Military Region commander would have kept him safe in Aden as opposed to residing in the Houthi-controlled territory which was the capital. On 24 November, he stated that the Houthis would be integrated into the
Yemeni Armed Forces The Yemeni Armed Forces () are the military forces of the Republic of Yemen. They include the Yemeni Army (including the Republican Guard), Yemeni Navy (including the Marines) and the Yemeni Air Force (including the Air Defense Force). Since ...
after a government delegation had payed an unannounced visit to Houthi leadership to discuss a plan. On 22 January 2015, Subaihi along with nearly all other members of the
Cabinet of Yemen The Cabinet of Yemen refers to the governing body of the internationally recognized government of the Republic of Yemen, led by its President Rashad al-Alimi, who is also the chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), the govern ...
, along with President Hadi, resigned in protest after the Houthis put him under virtual house arrest. The Houthis subsequently besieged Subaihi's house in the following days. On 6 February, the Houthis announced that Subaihi would be the head of the 18-member Supreme Security Committee. He along with former Interior Minister Jalal al-Rowaishan were seen present at the Houthis' announcement for plans of a new government. His presence at the announcement received suspicion from his political allies, some suggesting that he was forced to attend it. According to
Al Jazeera Al Jazeera Media Network (AJMN; , ) is a private-media conglomerate headquartered in Wadi Al Sail, Doha, funded in part by the government of Qatar. The network's flagship channels include Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Jazeera English, which pro ...
, Subaihi's appointment was viewed simply as a symbolic gesture by many Yemenis since true military power was already vested in the Houthis by then. On 7 March, Subaihi fled Sanaa in an overnight escape, two weeks after Hadi had done so to reach Aden. Initial reports claimed that Subaihi had traveled to Aden, however he later confirmed that he was in Lahij Governorate. Subaihi effectively became Hadi's de-facto minister of defense, commanding army forces loyal to the internationally-recognized Hadi-led government during the Battle of Aden Airport on 19 March and repelling Houthi-allied Saleh loyalists before capturing an adjacent military base. Subaihi was leading the counter-offensive against the Houthis in Lahij Governorate. On 25 March, a Houthi spokesperson announced that the group had captured Subaihi in the city of Lahij as their forces were advancing towards Aden. He was captured near al-Anad Air Base alongside the commander of the pro-Hadi 119th Armored Brigade Faisal Rajab and Hadi's brother Nasser who was the intelligence chief.


Negotiations and release

On 26 October 2018, the Omani government released a statement announcing that it had reached a deal with the Houthis allowing Subaihi to contact his family. The announcement was the first update on Subaihi's status since he was captured by the Houthis. On 8 November 2018, more than three years after his capture, Subaihi was officially replaced as Defense Minister by Mohammed Ali al-Maqdashi. On 14 April 2023, Subaihi and Nasser were released by the Houthis as part of a prisoner swap with the Yemeni government.


Post-release

On 9 May 2024, al-Subaihi was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General, and received the September 26 Medal from Presidential Leadership Council head
Rashad al-Alimi Rashad Muhammad al-Alimi (; born 15 January 1954) is a Yemeni politician, and the chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council since April 2022. Early life and education Rashad al-Alimi was born on January 15, 1954, in Al-Aloom, a village i ...
for his role in confronting the Houthis. On 12 May 2024, Alimi issued a decree appointing al-Subaihi as his advisor for defense and security affairs.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Subaihi, Mahmoud al- Living people Defence ministers of Yemen 21st-century Yemeni politicians Yemeni generals 1948 births People from Lahij Governorate Yemeni military personnel of the Yemeni civil war (2014–present) Ministry of Defense (Yemen) 20th-century Yemeni military personnel Yemeni Military Academy alumni Frunze Military Academy alumni Prisoners of war Yemeni emigrants to Saudi Arabia Yemeni expatriates in Oman Yemeni expatriates in the United Arab Emirates