Mahmoud Al-Subaihi

Lieutenant General Mahmoud Ahmed Salem al-Subaihi (born 1948; ) is a Yemeni military officer currently serving as an advisor to the chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council 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. He earned a bachelor's degree in military science from the Military College in Aden in 1976 before travelling to the Soviet Union to study at the Frunze Military Academy in 1978. He received a master's degree 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 from 1982 to 1986 before commanding the 25th Mechanised Brigade from 1986 to 1988. His appointment came amid the South Yemen civil war. 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 under its President Ali Salem al-Beidh.

Exile

After the conclusion of the war, Subaihi along with other defeated secessionists left Yemen for Oman. According to the ''al-Arab'' newspaper, Subaihi began a new life after his exile from Yemen. He travelled to the city of Jubail in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia, 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 using his fluency in Russian. He eventually became a cashier for a major telecommunications company in 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. 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. Subaihi and his brigade came to prominence for battling the al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula-affiliated Ansar al-Sharia as they capitalized on the chaos of the revolution to seize territory in Abyan Governorate 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 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, 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, 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 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