Mahmoud al-Subaihi | |
|---|---|
محمود الصبيحي | |
 Subaihi in 2024 | |
| Advisor to thePresidential Leadership Council | |
| Assumed office 12 May 2024 | |
| President | Rashad al-Alimi |
| Prime Minister | Ahmad Awad bin Mubarak Salem Saleh bin Braik |
| Minister of Defense | |
| In office 8 November 2014 – 25 March 2015[a] | |
| President | Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi |
| Prime Minister | Khaled Bahah Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr |
| Preceded by | Mohammed Nasser Ahmed |
| Succeeded by | Mohammed Ali al-Maqdashi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1948 (age 76–77) |
| Political party | General People's Congress |
| Alma mater | Military Academy in Aden Frunze Military Academy |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Yemen |
| Branch/service |  Yemen Army |
| Years of service | 1976–present |
| Rank |  Lieutenant general |
| Battles/wars | Yemeni Civil War (1994) Yemeni Civil War (2014–present) |
Lieutenant GeneralMahmoud Ahmed Salem al-Subaihi[c][1] (born 1948) is aYemeni military officer currently serving as an advisor to the chairman of thePresidential 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 theHouthi takeover of Yemen.
Subaihi was born in 1948 in the town of Huwaireb inal-Mudharaba and Ras al-Ara district,Lahij Governorate.[2][3] He earned abachelor's degree inmilitary science from the Military College inAden in 1976 before travelling to theSoviet Union to study at theFrunze Military Academy in 1978. He received amaster's degree in military science from the academy in 1982, before completing a command and staff course at the academy in 1988.[3]
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 theBayhan district ofShabwa Governorate from 1982 to 1986 before commanding the 25th Mechanised Brigade from 1986 to 1988.[2] His appointment came amid theSouth Yemen civil war.[4] In 1988, he was promoted to the rank of Staff Major.[3] 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.[3]
Subaihi was reappointed commander of the 25th Mechanised Brigade from 1993 to 1994. His brigade participated in the1994 Yemeni civil war fighting for the seccessionstDemocratic Republic of Yemen under its PresidentAli Salem al-Beidh.[3]
After the conclusion of the war, Subaihi along with other defeated secessionists left Yemen forOman. According to theal-Arab newspaper, Subaihi began a new life after his exile from Yemen. He travelled to the city ofJubail inEastern 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 inDubai using his fluency inRussian. He eventually became a cashier for a major telecommunications company inKuwait, where he spent the longest period of his exile until his return to Yemen in 2009.[4]
Subaihi returned following mediation with a former military officer who was then a close friend to PresidentAli Abdullah Saleh.[4] 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.[4][5] 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.[6][7][5] The brigade remained loyal to Saleh throughout theYemeni revolution.[8] Subaihi and his brigade came to prominence for battling theal-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula-affiliatedAnsar al-Sharia as they capitalized on the chaos of the revolution to seize territory inAbyan Governorate during the year.[2][4]
In April 2013, President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi appointed Subaihi as Commander of theFourth Military Region.[4] His role would have him oversee and lead the2014 offensive in southern Yemen against al-Qaeda.[9]
After the Houthistook over Sanaa in September 2014, President Hadi, in need of a trusted and universally respected defence minister,[4] appointed Subaihi as minister of defense in his 7 November cabinet shuffle, which was meant as an attempt to defuse tensions in the nation.[10] 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 theHouthi-controlled territory which was the capital.[4] On 24 November, he stated that the Houthis would be integrated into theYemeni Armed Forces after a government delegation had paid an unannounced visit to Houthi leadership to discuss a plan.[11]
On 22 January 2015, Subaihi along with nearly all other members of thecabinet of Yemen, along with President Hadi, resigned in protest after the Houthis put Hadi under virtual house arrest.[12] The Houthis subsequently besieged Subaihi's house in the following days.[13][14] On 6 February, the Houthis announced that Subaihi would be the head of the 18-member Supreme Security Committee. He along with former Interior MinisterJalal al-Rowaishan were seen present at an announcement for plans of a new government.[12] His presence at the announcement received suspicion from his political allies, some suggesting that he was forced to attend it.[15] According toAl 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.[16]
On 7 March, Subaihi fled Sanaa in an overnight escape, two weeks after Hadi had done so to reach Aden.[17] Initial reports claimed that Subaihi had traveled to Aden, however he later confirmed that he was in Lahij Governorate.[18][4] Subaihi effectively became Hadi's de-facto minister of defense,[19] commanding army forces loyal to the internationally-recognized Hadi-led government during theBattle of Aden Airport on 19 March and repelling Houthi-allied Saleh loyalists before capturing an adjacent military base.[20] Subaihi was leading the counter-offensive against the Houthis in Lahij Governorate.[19]
On 21 March, the Houthis appointed defected military chief of staffHussein Khairan as acting Minister of Defense, who would control military units allied to them. They stated that "al-Subaihi is no longer the defense minister and any role he plays in that capacity is illegitimate," though he still retained his position in the Hadi-government.[21]
On 25 March, a Houthi spokesperson announced that Subaihi, alongside pro-government 119th Armored Brigade commander Faisal Rajab and former intelligence chief and Hadi's brotherNasser Mansour Hadi, had been captured nearal-Anad Air Base in the city of Lahij as Houthi forces were advancing towards Aden.[22][23] Subaihi nominally remained defense minister in the Hadi-government, but the position wasde facto vacant as a result of his detention.[24][25]
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.[26] 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 Minister of Defense by then-military chief of staffMohammed Ali al-Maqdashi.[27]
On 14 April 2023, Subaihi and Nasser were released by the Houthis as part of a prisoner swap with the Yemeni government.[28][29]
On 9 May 2024, al-Subaihi was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General, and received the September 26 Medal from Presidential Leadership Council headRashad al-Alimi for his role in confronting the Houthis.[30][1] On 12 May 2024, Alimi issued a decree appointing al-Subaihi as his advisor for defense and security affairs.[1]