Milestones in the Career of Field Marshal Hadi: President of the Transitional Phase and Second President of Unified Yemen

Yemen Monitor / Special Monitoring:

Former Yemeni President Field Marshal Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi is the second president of the Republic of Yemen following the achievement of unification in 1990. He stands as one of the most prominent political and military figures to play pivotal roles in modern Yemeni history, particularly during the period following the 2011 protests and the subsequent complex political and military transformations.

Hadi was born on September 1, 1945, in the village of Dhakin, under the Mudiyah district of the Abyan Governorate in southern Yemen, and belongs to the Marashida clan of the Fadhli tribe. He received his military education at the Aden Protectorate Army School during the British colonial era before graduating in 1964 and joining the military establishment in South Yemen, where he rose through a number of military and political positions.

During the era of the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen (South Yemen) when the country was divided, Hadi emerged as a figure close to the former southern president, Ali Nasser Mohammed. However, the bloody events of January 1986 marked a crucial turning point in his life; he departed for North Yemen following the defeat of Ali Nasser’s faction, settling in Sana’a and joining the military establishment of the Yemen Arab Republic.

Following the declaration of Yemeni unification in 1990, Hadi maintained his presence within the institutions of the new state. He emerged as one of the active southern military leaders who supported the regime of Ali Abdullah Saleh during the summer war of 1994, which solidified his standing within the political and military establishment.

In that same year, he was appointed Vice President of the Republic—a position he held for nearly seventeen years, during which he became known for his calm demeanor and his avoidance of direct political and media conflicts within the ruling power.

With the outbreak of popular protests against the regime of President Ali Abdullah Saleh in 2011, Hadi found himself at the heart of the political arena. His name emerged as a consensus choice for all sides, leading him to the head of authority through the political agreement that ended the popular uprisings under the Gulf Initiative and United Nations sponsorship.

In February 2012, Hadi was elected as the consensus president of the Republic of Yemen as part of the political settlement—which was his sole condition to secure a popular mandate as president after political forces agreed on him. His tenure initiated a transitional phase intended to last two years under the agreement, but it ultimately stretched to eleven years.

During his presidency, the transitional period was supposed to steer the country toward drafting a new constitution and rebuilding state institutions, but the war following the Houthi coup plunged the nation into a conflict that remains ongoing today.

In the first years of his rule in 2013, under the partnership government headed by Mohammed Salem Basondawa, Yemen witnessed economic stability alongside a developmental, intellectual, and political renaissance. During this time, the Comprehensive National Dialogue Conference was launched with the participation of most political and social forces, including the Houthi group and the Southern Movement. The conference culminated in a political document widely considered the most important in modern history, representing a roadmap to shape the features of the modern Yemeni state.

Among the most prominent outcomes of the National Dialogue was the federal state project, which proposed dividing Yemen into six regions. However, the project faced objections from the Houthi group and certain southern factions, who argued that the proposed division failed to achieve a fair balance in the distribution of power and wealth.

Hadi also led the restructuring of the armed forces and curtailed the influence of power centers linked to the former regime by issuing decrees to dismiss several military commanders and redistribute posts. However, these measures faced deep resistance within state institutions.

Barely a year after Hadi assumed power, the Houthi group began expanding by force of arms, leading to the Dammaj war. This conflict ended with Sheikh Yahya Al-Hajouri authorizing President Hadi to make the final decision regarding them after months of siege and warfare, resulting in the directive for their departure from Dammaj in January 2014.

Although the Houthis participated in the National Dialogue, they ignited wars in Sa’dah and Amran. The presidential stance was marked by forming presidential committees that failed to stop the Houthis, which only whetted the group’s appetite for expansion. They advanced toward Amran, which fell to their fighters. President Hadi visited the city while it was under Houthi control, and following the killing of the commander of the 310th Armored Brigade, Brigadier General Hamid Al-Qushaibi, the Houthis reached Sana’a in September 2014, and the capital fell into their hands.

Hadi’s era witnessed a historic meeting of the UN Security Council in Sana’a, reflecting broad international and regional backing. Later, the Houthi group placed his residence under siege after trying to force a list of appointments on him, including a vice president from their group. He managed to escape to Aden, after which the war broke out, prompting the launch of Operation Decisive Storm led by Saudi Arabia at Hadi’s request.

The war saw massive shifts in territorial control between the legitimate forces—headed by Hadi and backed by the coalition—and the Iran-backed Houthis and their then-partner Ali Abdullah Saleh. As the war dragged on, April 2022 brought the decision to transfer authority to an eight-member Presidential Council. President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi chose to hand over power, remaining on the sidelines until his passing yesterday, Thursday, May 28, 2026.