Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, Yemen’s Former Leader, Dies at 80 in Riyadh

Yemen’s former president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi has passed away in Riyadh at the age of 80, closing a chapter on a leadership marked by civil conflict and international involvement. According to Yemen TV and sources within his family, Hadi died in a Riyadh hospital following a sudden health complication. A career military officer born in Abyan in 1945, Hadi served as vice president before taking office in 2012 under a Gulf Cooperation Council transition agreement. His presidency was defined by attempts to restructure Yemen’s fractured security institutions while facing growing opposition from the Houthi movement. The turning point came in January 2015 when Houthi fighters surrounded the presidential palace, leading Hadi to resign and later flee to the southern city of Aden. From there he called for external intervention, resulting in the Saudi-led coalition’s military campaign that began in March 2015. The war that followed has caused immense suffering and displacement across the country. In his final political act, Hadi in 2022 handed authority to an eight-member council intended to unify rival factions opposed to Houthi rule. Yemen today remains split between Houthi-controlled areas in the north and the government based in Aden. Hadi’s death highlights the enduring challenges facing the country and the difficulty of achieving lasting peace after nearly a decade of conflict.