Hamid bin Abdullah bin Hussein al-Ahmar (Arabic: الشيخ حميد بن عبد الله بن حسين الأحمر) (born 1967) is a Yemeni politician currently living in exile alongside the rest of the politicians that fled Yemen during the Houthi takeover of Sana'a September 2014. He is the former general secretary of the Preparatory Committee of the National Dialogue for the JMP and a member of opposition party Yemeni Congregation for Reform, commonly known as Islah.[1][2]
Hamid al-Ahmar | |
|---|---|
| حميد الأحمر | |
| General Secretary of the Preparatory Committee of the National Dialogue Conference | |
| In office 2011 – June 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Ahmad Awad bin Mubarak (as General Secretary of the NDC) |
| Member of the House of Representatives | |
| Assumed office 1993 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 December 1967 Sana'a, North Yemen |
| Political party | Al-Islah |
| Relations | Abdullah ibn Husayn al-Ahmar (father) Sadeq Al-Ahmar (brother) |
| Alma mater | Sanaa University |
He is a son of Abdullah ibn Husayn al-Ahmar,[1] the former head of the Hashid tribal confederacy of Islah which is now headed by Hamid's older brother Sadeq who's living in the capital Sanaa,[3] and the former Speaker of the Yemeni HR since 1993. Senior Al-ahmer has been known in Yemen as the presidents' maker and breaker.[citation needed] His uncle, after whom he is named, was executed by the Yemeni Imam Ahmed Hameed Al-deen (1948–1962) during the Yemeni civil war of 1962–1968. "After all, the heinous murder of his ambitious uncle and grandfather led his father to mobilize the Hashid tribes, normally supporters of the Imam, to the side of the revolution when it broke out in north Yemen in 1962. The efforts of his father, family, and tribesmen eventually led to the permanent demise of the Imamate’s 11 centuries' rule."[4]
As a youth, he spent summers in either the United States or the United Kingdom, staying with a family to learn English. He earned a bachelor's degree in economics with honors at Sana'a University. He went into buying, eventually owning cellular telecom Sabafon, the Islamic Bank of Saba, and at least a dozen other businesses which most of them have now been seized by the Houthi militia.[4]
He has been a member of the Yemeni House of Representatives (HR) since the 1993 parliamentary elections. He has been a member of the Shoura Council of the Yemeni Congregation for Reform party which is known by its short Arabic name Islah, meaning "reform." At the beginning of 2007, he was elevated to the Higher Commission of the party, which is equivalent to a political bureau.
While not occupying any formal position within the Yemeni opposition parties coalition which is known as the Joint Meeting Parties—JMP. He is credited for leading the Yemeni opposition in a presidential elections battle against Saleh in September 2006. Hameed's success in the past is attributed to his very influential political family (Al-ahmer) of the now fragmented and weakened Hashid tribal coalition which once dominated Yemen's politics until the Houthi takeover of Sana'a.[citation needed]
on October 7 2024, The United States Department of the Treasury placed sanctions on Hamid as a key member of Hamas’s investment portfolio.[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Sheikh Hameed Al-Ahmar to Yemen Times: "The real threat to Yemen’s unity and stability is this current regime" Archived 15 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Yemen Times, 1 March 2011
- ^ Feared general regarded as kingmaker, Financial Times, 21 March 2011
- ^ Yemen's splintered opposition, Al Jazeera, 26 June 2011
- ^ a b The Yemeni Opposition’s strong man Archived 8 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Dr. Abdullah Al-Faqeh, Yemen Times, 27 December 2007
- ^ "Treasury Targets Significant International Hamas Fundraising Network". Retrieved 10 October 2024.
External links
edit- The Yemeni Opposition’s strong man, Dr. Abdullah Al-Faqeh, Yemen Times, 27 December 2007
- Saleh’s Son Lashes at Sheik Hamid al-Ahmar, Vows to Face 'Plots', Mohammed Al-Amrani, Yemen Tribune, 15 November 2009
- Sheikh Hameed Al-Ahmar to Yemen Times: "The real threat to Yemen’s unity and stability is this current regime", Yemen Times, 1 March 2011, extensive interview
- Yemen security blames Islah leader for Friday massacre, Nasser Arrabyee, Yemen Observer, 21 March 2011
- Kingmaker seeks stable, developed Yemen, Abigail Fielding-Smith in Sana’a, Financial Times, 25 March 2011
- Yemen's Hamid al-Ahmar urges President Saleh to leave, BBC News, 31 March 2011