Aden (South24 Center)

The death of Ali Salem al-Bidh, former President of the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (South Yemen) and former Vice President of the Republic of Yemen following unification, was announced today, Saturday, January 17, in the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, at the age of 86.

Who is he?

Al-Bidh was born on February 10, 1939, in the Al Riydah and Qusayaar district of Hadramout Governorate. He came of age during a period of growing national resistance to British colonial rule in South Yemen, which shaped his early political consciousness.

He became involved in political activity at an early stage through the National Front and later the Yemeni Socialist Party. Following South Yemen’s independence in 1967, al-Bidh held a series of government, ministerial, and executive positions in the State.

In the mid-1980s, al-Bidh rose to prominence as the Secretary-General of the Yemeni Socialist Party, the ruling party in South Yemen, becoming one of the most prominent figures of authority in the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen.

On May 22, 1990, al-Bidh played a pivotal role in signing the unification agreement between the South State and the Yemen Arab Republic (the Northern State) alongside Ali Abdullah Saleh. The agreement led to the establishment of the Republic of Yemen, with al-Bidh appointed Vice President of the new state.

However, the hopes for unification soon collided with what al-Bidh and Southerners described as betrayal and a coup. Al-Bidh accused the central government's policies of marginalization and exclusion, which led him in 1993 to withdraw from the government and return to the South.

On May 21, 1994, he announced the "Dissociation" and the re-establishment of the "Democratic Republic of Yemen," a move that sparked an armed conflict in the summer of 1994, ending with the defeat of Southern forces and the control of Aden by forces loyal to Sanaa in July of the same year.

Following the 1994 war, al-Bidh left the country for the Sultanate of Oman, where he lived in exile for years. He remained relatively away from the political spotlight for years, although individuals close to him say he continued to manage political activity "discreetly" from abroad, including supporting the "Mawaj" and "Hatm" movements that were active against the unification regime inside the country.

With the rise of the Southern Movement (Al-Hirak Al-Janoubi) in 2007, al-Bidh’s name returned to the circle of public political work in 2009, when he openly endorsed the demands for the restoration of South State. In response to his activity, the Sultanate of Oman announced the revocation of his citizenship the same year, considering that continuing political work from outside the country violated his residency conditions.

Since then, al-Bidh remained a prominent figure within the Southern political discourse advocating independence, influencing the trends of parts of the Hirak through statements and declarations from outside Yemen. Al-Bidh moved between several countries, including Austria and the UAE, where he spent his final years.

Al-Bidh’s death comes at a time when the South is witnessing rapid changes and wide popular escalation, considering renewed protests and demands for the independence of the State of the South, which adheres to the Constitutional Declaration issued on January 2, 2026, by the Southern Transitional Council (STC).