Ali Abdullah Saleh allegedly buried secretly, no goodbyes

CAIRO – 6 December 2017: Former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh was allegedly buried secretly Tuesday night without a funeral ceremony, according to Yemeni media outlets.

Yemeni media outlets also claim that the funeral was held in a very discreet manner as the few attendees were even banned from using their cell phones or talking with anyone about the events. According to Al-Mashhad Yemeni-owned newspaper, Saleh’s distant relatives were not notified about the funeral date. It is reported that only five people attended the funeral.

The former president, who ruled the country for about 33 years and led the General People's Congress (Al-Mo'tamar Ash-Sha'abiy Al-'Aam) party, was buried in silence after living a controversial life, including various political alliances.

Saleh was assassinated in a shooting on Monday December 4 by the Houthi militia while he was heading to his home in Sanhan city, Sanaa. Photos and Videos of the brutal assassination went viral on social media, shortly after announcing his death by the rebel militia.

In a televised speech, Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi called on Yemenis to rise up against the Iran-aligned Houthis. He also called for a new approach in the battle against the rebel militia, who were allied with Saleh before he turned against them by backing the Saudi-led coalition.