Abdullah al-Sallal

Who was Abdullah al-Sallal?

Abdullah al-Sallal was the leader of the North Yemeni Revolution of 1962. He served as the first President of the Yemen Arab Republic from 27 September 1962 to 5 November 1967.

Al-Sallal led the revolutionary forces that deposed King Muhammad al-Badr and deposed the Mutawakkalite Kingdom of Yemen. He presided over the newly founded Republic, with close ties to Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt which served as the YAR's strongest ally in the war against the Saudi Arabian-backed Mutawakkalite royalists that lasted into 1968. Yemen's President Abdullah al-Sallal negotiated with tribal leaders.

Six different men held the position of Prime Minister under as-Sallal, including al-Sallal himself three times. He held both titles from the formation of the republic until 26 April 1963, when he appointed Abdul Latif Dayfallah, as well as briefly in 1965 and from 18 September 1966 until the end of his presidency. Abdul Rahman al-Iryani, as-Sallal's successor to the presidency in 1967, served as Prime Minister in 1963 and 1964. Hassan al-Amri held the post three times.