Ahmed Gaid Salah (Arabic: أحمد قايد صالح; 13 January 1940 – 23 December 2019[1]) was an Algerian military officer and chief of staff of the Algerian People's National Army from 2004 to 2019. In 2004, he was appointed by then-President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to the position of chief of staff of the army. On 15 September 2013, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Defense. Gaid Salah served as Algeria's de facto leader in 2019.[2]
Lieutenant general Ahmed Gaid Salah | |
|---|---|
| أحمد قايد صالح | |
 Ahmed Gaid Salah in 2006 | |
| Chief of Staff of the People's National Army | |
| In office 3 August 2004 – 23 December 2019 | |
| President | Abdelaziz Bouteflika Abdelmadjid Tebboune |
| Preceded by | Mohamed Lamari |
| Succeeded by | Saïd Chengriha |
| Deputy Minister of Defense | |
| In office 11 September 2013 – 23 December 2019 | |
| Succeeded by | Vacant |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 January 1940 Batna, French Algeria |
| Died | 23 December 2019 (aged 79) Algiers, Algeria |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  FLN(1957–1962)  Algeria(1962–2019) |
| Branch/service |  Algerian People's National Army |
| Years of service | 1957–2019 |
| Rank | Lieutenant general |
| Unit | Corps of Artillery |
| Commands | Chief of Staff of the People's National Army |
| Battles/wars | |
Biography
editOn 26 March 2019, after months of unrelenting anti-Bouteflika protests, Gaid Salah compelled President Bouteflika to resign.[3] The president handed over his resignation under intense public pressure after having announced that he was seeking reelection for a fifth term. Later, in an effort to ease public tension, General Gaid Salah ordered the arrest of the president's brother and close adviser, Said Bouteflika, alleging that he was conspiring with two former intelligence chiefs, retired General Toufik Mediene and General Tartag, to make changes in the leadership of the armed forces, including the removal of Gaid Salah himself from his top position.[4]
In an effort to remove opposition, General Gaid Salah ordered the arrest of two former prime ministers as well as other former ministers and several business leaders who were close to presidential advisor Said Bouteflika. His actions at that point gained him a lot of public support. The anti-corruption activity that started in the second quarter of 2019 was used by the Algerian anti-government movement as an opportunity to demand that the military hand over power to a civilian government, a demand that was rejected by General Gaid Salah. Instead, General Gaid Salah said that only a presidential election could bring the country out of its political crisis.[5]
Death
editGaid Salah suffered a heart attack on the morning of 23 December 2019 and was rushed to a military hospital in Algiers, where he died a few hours later. He was 79 years old.[6][7][8] His last public appearance was four days earlier when he received the National Order of Merit from President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.[9] After his funeral, he was buried on 25 December 2019 at El-Alia cemetery, Algiers.[2][10]
Honours
edit- Collar of the National Order of Merit (Algeria)
- Medal of the Order of Military Merit (Algeria)
- Medal of Bravery (Algeria)
- Medal of Courage (Algeria)
- Medal of Honour (Algeria)
- Medal of Longevity and Exemplary Service (Algeria)
- Medal for participation in the Middle East Wars 1967 and 1973 (Algeria)[11]
- Commander of the Order of the Republic of Tunisia
References
edit- ^ "نائب وزير الدفاع الفريق قايد صالح في ذمة الله". النهار أونلاين. December 23, 2019.
- ^ a b "Algeria buries military chief, de facto ruler amid protests". Associated Press. 25 December 2019. Archived from the original on 2020-01-14. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
- ^ "Algerian Leader Bouteflika Resigns Under Pressure From Army". 2019-04-02. Retrieved 2019-09-18.
- ^ "Algeria: Military Judiciary Sets Trial Date for Bouteflika Regime Figures". 2019-09-13. Retrieved 2019-09-18.
- ^ "Algeria's army chief renews push for presidential election". 2019-06-17. Retrieved 2019-09-18.
- ^ eddine, Ait Seddik Baha. "Décès du général de corps d'armée Ahmed Gaïd Salah". www.aps.dz.
- ^ "Ahmed Gaïd Salah hospitalisé, un proche annonce son décès". Radio M. December 23, 2019. Archived from the original on December 23, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
- ^ "Algeria's powerful military chief Ahmed Gaid Salah dies". France 24. December 23, 2019.
- ^ "شاهد آخر ظهور لرئيس أركان الجيش الجزائري قبل وفاته". Al Arabiya (in Arabic). 23 December 2019.
- ^ Chikhi, Lamine (25 December 2019). "Hundreds of thousands turn out to mourn Algeria's powerful army chief". Reuters. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
- ^ eddine, Ait Seddik Baha. "Le défunt Ahmed Gaid Salah: un moudjahid au riche parcours au service de l'ANP et de l'Algérie". www.aps.dz (in French). Retrieved 2020-10-28.