Ahmed al-Rahawi Age, Death, Family, Biography

Some Lesser Known Facts About Ahmed al-Rahawi

• Ahmed al-Rahawi was born and raised in Khanfar, Abyan Governorate, Yemen. He was a member of the Al-Rahawi tribe.

• His father, Ghaleb Nasser al-Rahawi, was a politician who was assassinated in the 1970s.

• From 2000 to 2015, he served in several high-level local positions, including Director General and Chairman of the Local Council of Khanfar District, Deputy Governor of Al Mahwit Governorate, and Deputy Governor of Abyan Governorate, Yemen.

• Ahmed al-Rahawi was close to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Later, in 2014, when the Houthis took control of Sanaa and large parts of northern and central Yemen, he joined them, which marked the start of the country’s long civil war.

• Al-Rahawi faced multiple assassination attempts, resulting in injuries to several family members. In 2015, Al-Qaeda destroyed his only home in Ba Tays, so he had to relocate to Yemen’s capital, Sanaa.

• In 2019, he became the governor of Abyan Governorate. In the same year, he was appointed to the Houthi-led Supreme Political Council, which serves as the executive body for the Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen.

• As a long-time member of the General People’s Congress (GPC), he also held a position on the party’s Central Committee, maintaining an official political affiliation outside the Houthi structure.

• On 10 August 2024, al-Rahawi was appointed as the prime minister of Yemen by the Supreme Political Council. He became the prime minister as the government was reorganised into what was called the “Government of Change and Construction,” announced shortly after his appointment.

• On 12 August 2024, the new cabinet was formed under his leadership with only 21 ministers, showing a significant reduction in GPC representation and a stronger Houthi influence, which indicates his relatively limited independent power.

• Al-Rahawi was not part of the inner circle surrounding al-Houthi that manages the military and strategic affairs of the group. His administration was only responsible for handling the daily civilian matters in Sanaa and other areas controlled by the Houthis.

• On 28 August 2025, Al-Rahawi and several of his companions were killed in an Israeli airstrike that targeted an apartment building in Sanaa, Yemen. His death was confirmed by the Houthis on 30 August 2025. A funeral for Al-Rahawi and the other victims of the strike was held at the Al-Shaab Mosque in Sanaa on 1 September 2025.
  

  A picture of Ahmed al-Rahawi’s funeral

• After his death, his position was transferred to his deputy, Muhammad Ahmed Miftah, on 30 August 2025.