Yemen's dissident General Ali Mohsen Al Ahmar is pictured in Sanaa on November 27, 2012. Mohamed Al Sayaghi/Reuters
Yemen's dissident General Ali Mohsen Al Ahmar is pictured in Sanaa on November 27, 2012. Mohamed Al Sayaghi/Reuters

Yemeni president appoints veteran general to lead fight against Houthis



ADEN // Yemen’s president Abdrabu Mansur Hadi has appointed a former general with close ties to tribes around the capital Sanaa as the deputy supreme commander of the military.

The appointment on Monday of the politically powerful Ali Mohsen Al Ahmar, who has been based in Saudi Arabia since the Houthi rebel takeover of Sanaa in 2014, is a potentially important development in the country’s civil war.

Analysts said Mr Al Ahmar wields significant influence among tribal groups in and around Sanaa, as well as senior military figures he previously worked with.

The announcement of Mr Al Ahmar’s appointment comes as the Yemeni military, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, has advanced to within about 48 kilometres of Sanaa. Coalition air strikes have also increased in recent days, and analysts speculated that Mr Al Ahmar’s appointment was a precursor to operations to wrest the capital back from the Iran-backed rebels.

“This appointment came late ... but we can say that the liberation of Sanaa has started with the appointment of Al Ahmar,” said Fahdl Al Rabei, who runs the Madar Strategic Studies Center in Aden.

Mr Al Ahmar, a retired brigadier general, was a powerful military leader and close adviser to Abdullah Saleh during the former president’s 33-year reign. He helped lead military operations against the Houthis during the six wars that Mr Saleh’s government fought against the rebel movement.

Since then, however, allegiances have shifted dramatically. Mr Al Ahmar split with Mr Saleh after the so-called Friday of Dignity on 18 March, 2011 when the latter’s forces killed 45 young Yemenis protesting against the government during the Arab Spring.

Mr Al Ahmar’s First Armoured Division troops then played a key role in finally ousting Mr Saleh.

In 2013, Mr Hadi appointed Mr Al Ahmar as his military and security adviser after restructuring Yemen’s armed forces to try and dilute the power of commanders and units still loyal to the ousted Mr Saleh.

But with the breakdown of the GCC-brokered and UN-backed transition process in 2014, the northern Zaydi-Shiite Houthis allied with their former enemy, Mr Saleh, in a war for control of the country.

The joint rebel force captured the capital from Mr Al Ahmar’s forces in September of that year before advancing southward, seizing large parts of the country, including much of the second city of Aden. Mr Al Ahmar decamped to Saudi Arabia.

The rebels have managed to hold Sanaa despite a Saudi-led coalition of mostly Arab states launching an intervention last March. Forces loyal to Mr Hadi’s government — backed by the coalition in which the UAE plays a leading role — recaptured Aden from the rebels last July and have since pushed northward, retaking five southern provinces.

Farther north, where the Houthis and their allies have more tribal support and where their power base is located, has proven more difficult terrain, however.

Yemeni and coalition forces continue to battle Houthi-Saleh forces in Taez province, where the rebels have besieged large parts of the provincial capital, also called Taez. But the announcement of Mr Al Ahmar’s new role may be an indication that the military priority will shift to the more crucial task of retaking Sanaa.

Many observers had previously thought an all-out assault on the capital unlikely, given the rebels’ by now well dug-in positions and the likely high rate of civilian casualties.

Over the past week, pro-government forces have moved within about 48 kilometres of Sanaa after taking the town of Fardhat Nihm and a nearby military base from the rebels.

“The appointment of Al Ahmar is a clear indication that the battle of Sanaa will be before Taez or any other province, as Al Ahmar has most of his supporters in Sanaa, and he can bring forces in the northern provinces under one leadership,” Mr Al Rabei said.

Mr Al Ahmar’s clan leads the large Hashid tribal confederation in the country’s north, and his appointment may be a bid to win over tribesmen who have backed the rebels.

“The Houthis have been able to persuade some tribes to support them, and so these tribes sent many of their men to fight with the Houthis in different provinces,” said Mr Al Rabei. “But I think that Al Ahmar can persuade these tribes to leave the Houthis and support the pro-government forces, as he has many tribes who support him.”

foreign.desk@thenational.ae

Taimur Khan reported from Abu Dhabi

* With additional reporting by Agence France-Presse

RESULTS

5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 2,200m
Winner: Arjan, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer).

5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m​​​​​​​
Winner: Jap Nazaa, Royston Ffrench, Irfan Ellahi.

6pm: Al Ruwais Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 1,200m​​​​​​​
Winner: RB Lam Tara, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinal.

6.30pm: Shadwell Gold Cup Prestige Dh125,000 1,600m​​​​​​​
Winner: AF Sanad, Bernardo Pinheiro, Khalifa Al Neyadi.

7pm: Shadwell Farm Stallions Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m​​​​​​​
Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Patrick Cosgrave, Abdallah Al Hammadi.

7.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 1,600m​​​​​​​
Winner: Dubai Canal, Harry Bentley, Satish Seemar.

Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Rating: 4/5
Where to buy art books in the UAE

There are a number of speciality art bookshops in the UAE.

In Dubai, The Lighthouse at Dubai Design District has a wonderfully curated selection of art and design books. Alserkal Avenue runs a pop-up shop at their A4 space, and host the art-book fair Fully Booked during Art Week in March. The Third Line, also in Alserkal Avenue, has a strong book-publishing arm and sells copies at its gallery. Kinokuniya, at Dubai Mall, has some good offerings within its broad selection, and you never know what you will find at the House of Prose in Jumeirah. Finally, all of Gulf Photo Plus’s photo books are available for sale at their show. 

In Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi has a beautiful selection of catalogues and art books, and Magrudy’s – across the Emirates, but particularly at their NYU Abu Dhabi site – has a great selection in art, fiction and cultural theory.

In Sharjah, the Sharjah Art Museum sells catalogues and art books at its museum shop, and the Sharjah Art Foundation has a bookshop that offers reads on art, theory and cultural history.

Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode

Directors: Raj & DK

Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon

Rating: 4/5

Disclaimer

Director: Alfonso Cuaron 

Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville 

Rating: 4/5

The specs

Price, base / as tested Dh960,000
Engine 3.9L twin-turbo V8 
Transmission Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Power 661hp @8,000rpm
Torque 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.4L / 100k

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%3Cp%3EAverage%20amount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20at%20DIC%20factory%20every%20month%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EApproximately%20106%2C000%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAmount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20from%201%20litre%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%20%3Cstrong%3E920ml%20(92%25)%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ETime%20required%20for%20one%20full%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%20used%20cooking%20oil%20to%20biofuel%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EOne%20day%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EEnergy%20requirements%20for%20one%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%201%2C000%20litres%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%96%AA%20Electricity%20-%201.1904%20units%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Water-%2031%20litres%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Diesel%20%E2%80%93%2026.275%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Top 10 most polluted cities
  1. Bhiwadi, India
  2. Ghaziabad, India
  3. Hotan, China
  4. Delhi, India
  5. Jaunpur, India
  6. Faisalabad, Pakistan
  7. Noida, India
  8. Bahawalpur, Pakistan
  9. Peshawar, Pakistan
  10. Bagpat, India

Schedule:

Friday, January 12: Six fourball matches
Saturday, January 13: Six foursome (alternate shot) matches
Sunday, January 14: 12 singles

The specs: 2018 Infiniti QX80

Price: base / as tested: Dh335,000

Engine: 5.6-litre V8

Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 400hp @ 5,800rpm

Torque: 560Nm @ 4,000rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 12.1L / 100km

From Zero

Artist: Linkin Park

Label: Warner Records

Number of tracks: 11

Rating: 4/5

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed