Ali Abdullah Saleh’s death will shake up the war in Yemen

IT WAS an unceremonious end. On December 4th Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen’s former dictator, was killed outside the capital Sana’a, which has been paralysed by a week of fighting. A video circulated online showed his bloodied body wrapped in a gaudy blanket, surrounded by militiamen. State television called the former president “the leader of the traitors” (see Obituary).

His death was emblematic of Yemen’s complexity: Mr Saleh was killed by the Houthis, enemies who had become allies, only to become enemies again. For all his many faults, Mr Saleh was the most powerful politician in Yemen, and both America and Saudi Arabia had hoped to use him to broker an end to the war. His death leaves a power vacuum that no one else will be able to fill any time soon.

Mr Saleh ran...Continue reading