Ahmed Gaid Salah
{{Short description|Algerian military officer (1940–2019)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Ahmed Gaid Salah
| native_name = أحمد قايد صالح
| image = Ahmed gaid salah 2006 (cropped).jpg
| caption = Ahmed Gaid Salah in 2006
| office = Chief of Staff of the People's National Army
| term_start = 3 August 2004
| term_end = 23 December 2019
| predecessor = Mohamed Lamari
| successor = Saïd Chengriha
| office1 =
| term_start1 =
| term_end1 =
| predecessor1 =
| successor1 =
| office2 = Deputy Minister of Defense
| deputy2 =
| term_start2 = 11 September 2013
| term_end2 = 23 December 2019
| predecessor2 =
| successor2 = Vacant
| office3 = Commander of Ground Forces
| term_start3 = 1994
| predecessor3 = Khelifa Rahim
| successor3 = Ahcene Tafer
| term_end3 = 3 August 2004{{cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.net/encyclopedia/2016/11/29/%D8%A3%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF-%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%AF-%D8%B5%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B0%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%85%D9%86%D9%89
|title=تعرف على أحمد قايد صالح |website=الجزيرة
|date=November 29, 2016}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|1940|01|13|df=y}}
| birth_place = Batna, French Algeria
| death_date = {{death date and age|2019|12|23|1940|01|13|df=y}}
| death_place = Algiers, Algeria
| allegiance = {{Flagicon image|Flag of Algeria (1958-1962).svg}} FLN
(1957–1962)
{{flag|Algeria}}
(1962–2019)
| branch = 20px Algerian People's National Army
| unit = Corps of Artillery
| serviceyears = 1957–2019
| rank = Lieutenant general
| commands = Chief of Staff of the People's National Army
| battles = {{unbulleted list|Algerian War|Sand War|War of Attrition|Western Sahara War|Algerian Civil War}}
| awards =
| president = Abdelaziz Bouteflika
Abdelmadjid Tebboune
| honorific_prefix = Lieutenant general
}}
Ahmed Gaid Salah ({{langx|ar|أحمد قايد صالح}}; 13 January 1940 – 23 December 2019{{Cite web|url=https://www.ennaharonline.com/%d9%86%d8%a7%d8%a6%d8%a8-%d9%88%d8%b2%d9%8a%d8%b1-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%af%d9%81%d8%a7%d8%b9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%81%d8%b1%d9%8a%d9%82-%d9%82%d8%a7%d9%8a%d8%af-%d8%b5%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ad-%d9%81%d9%8a-%d8%b0%d9%85/|title=نائب وزير الدفاع الفريق قايد صالح في ذمة الله|date=December 23, 2019|website=النهار أونلاين}}) 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.
Biography
On 26 March 2019, after months of unrelenting anti-Bouteflika protests, Gaid Salah compelled President Bouteflika to resign.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/02/world/africa/Abdelaziz-Bouteflika-resigns.html|title=Algerian Leader Bouteflika Resigns Under Pressure From Army|date=2019-04-02|access-date=2019-09-18|language=en-GB}} 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.{{Cite news|url=https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1900521/algeria-military-judiciary-sets%C2%A0trial-date%C2%A0-bouteflika-regime-figures|title=Algeria: Military Judiciary Sets Trial Date for Bouteflika Regime Figures|date=2019-09-13|access-date=2019-09-18|language=en-GB}}
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.{{Cite news|url=https://www.apnews.com/51c0acf0f2e44364831db54d7fabdcb8|title=Algeria's army chief renews push for presidential election|date=2019-06-17|access-date=2019-09-18|language=en-GB}}
Death
Gaid 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.{{Cite web|url=http://www.aps.dz/algerie/99289-deces-du-general-du-corps-d-armee-ahmed-gaid-salah|title=Décès du général de corps d'armée Ahmed Gaïd Salah|first=Ait Seddik Baha|last=eddine|website=www.aps.dz}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.radiom.info/ahmed-gaid-salah-hospitalise-un-proche-annonce-son-deces/|title=Ahmed Gaïd Salah hospitalisé, un proche annonce son décès|date=December 23, 2019|website=Radio M|access-date=December 23, 2019|archive-date=December 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191223095543/https://www.radiom.info/ahmed-gaid-salah-hospitalise-un-proche-annonce-son-deces/|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.france24.com/en/20191223-algeria-s-armed-forces-chief-ahmed-gaid-salah-has-died|title=Algeria's powerful military chief Ahmed Gaid Salah dies|date=December 23, 2019|website=France 24}} His last public appearance was four days earlier when he received the National Order of Merit from President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.{{cite web|url=https://www.alarabiya.net/ar/north-africa/2019/12/23/%D8%B4%D8%A7%D9%87%D8%AF-%D8%A2%D8%AE%D8%B1-%D8%B8%D9%87%D9%88%D8%B1-%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%A6%D9%8A%D8%B3-%D8%A3%D8%B1%D9%83%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%B4-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%A6%D8%B1%D9%8A-%D9%82%D8%A8%D9%84-%D9%88%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%87.html|title=شاهد آخر ظهور لرئيس أركان الجيش الجزائري قبل وفاته|website=Al Arabiya|language=Arabic|date=23 December 2019}} After his funeral, he was buried on 25 December 2019 at El-Alia cemetery, Algiers.{{cite web | title=Algeria buries military chief, de facto ruler amid protests | url=https://apnews.com/ff9c303e4597fcf4ddc9dc2764ed04c4 | date=25 December 2019 | work=Associated Press | accessdate=25 December 2019 |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20200114173502/https://apnews.com/ff9c303e4597fcf4ddc9dc2764ed04c4 |archivedate=2020-01-14 |url-status=live}}{{cite web | last1=Chikhi | first1=Lamine | title=Hundreds of thousands turn out to mourn Algeria's powerful army chief | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-algeria-army-mourning/hundreds-of-thousands-turn-out-to-mourn-algerias-powerful-army-chief-idUSKBN1YT0CG | date=25 December 2019 | work=Reuters | accessdate=26 December 2019}}
Honours
- 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){{Cite web|last=eddine|first=Ait Seddik Baha|title=Le défunt Ahmed Gaid Salah: un moudjahid au riche parcours au service de l'ANP et de l'Algérie|url=http://www.aps.dz/algerie/99318-le-defunt-ahmed-gaid-salah-un-moudjahid-au-riche-parcours-au-service-de-l-anp-et-de-l-algerie|access-date=2020-10-28|website=www.aps.dz|language=fr-fr}}
- Commander of the Order of the Republic of Tunisia
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:GAID Salah, Ahmed}}
Category:People from Batna, Algeria
Category:Government ministers of Algeria