Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar

Who is Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar?

Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar is a major general of the Yemeni army. Born in Sanhan village, Sana'a - Yemen on 20 June 1945, he was raised in a conservative religious family, and received a bachelor's degree in 1974, majoring in military sciences. al-Ahmar did doctoral studies at the Nasser Supreme Military Academy in Cairo in 1986.

He served as President Saleh's chief military adviser, and was at one point considered Yemen's second-most powerful man. He helped recruit Islamic fundamentalists to fight in Afghanistan during the Soviet-Afghan War. Relations between Saleh and Mohsen had reportedly soured years before the uprising due to his rivalries with two of the president's sons. This souring of relations led to an apparent attempt by the President Saleh to kill Mohsen by asking Saudi Arabian military commanders to bomb an alleged rebel base which was in fact Mohsen's HQ.

On March 21, 2011, al-Ahmar said he would protect the anti-government Yemeni protesters, along with other top Yemeni army commanders, in a move that was later condemned as 'mutinous' by President Saleh.