Ali Said Abdella

Infobox Officeholder
name=Ali Said Abdella


order=1st Minister of Internal Affairs of Eritrea¹
term_start=1993
term_end=1997
successor=Mahmoud Ahmed Sherifo
order2=2nd Minister of Trade and Industry of Eritrea
term_start2=1997
term_end2=2000
predecessor2=Ogbe Abraha
successor2=Haile Woldense
order3=5th Minister of Foreign Affairs of Eritrea
term_start3=2000
term_end3=2005
predecessor3=Haile Woldense
successor3=Mohamed Omer
birth_date=1949
birth_place=Harena, Northern Red Sea Region
death_date=death date|2005|8|28|mf=y
death_place=Asmara, Central Region
party=PFDJ
profession=
footnotes=¹Ministry renamed Ministry of Local Government.

Ali Said Abdella (September 1949–August 28, 2005) was an Eritrean rebel commander, politician and diplomat, who at the time of his death was serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Eritrea.

Ali Said was the son of a shepherd. He was of Afar ethnic origin. As a young man, he joined the Eritrean Liberation Front, a rebel group which was fighting for Eritrean independence from Ethiopia. He received medical and military training in Syria in 1965 and soon returned to Eritrea where he was an active fighter. By the 1970s he had switched to Eritrea's other rebel group, the Eritrean People's Liberation FrontEd Harris, [http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=87&art_id=qw112523886526B263 "Eritrean foreign minister and ex-rebel dies"] , Reuters, August 28, 2005.] and, in 1977, he became a member of the politburo of that organization. [http://www.eritreadaily.net/News0705/article200508282.htm "Eritrea: FM died of heart attack, autopsy"] , "Eritrea Daily", August 28, 2005.]

When Eritrea gained independence in the early 1990s, Ali Said served in the new government, becoming Minister of Internal Affairs. He was then appointed as Minister of Trade and Industry in February 1997. [ [http://www.africa.upenn.edu/eue_web/hoa0497.htm "President quietly shuffles cabinet"] , "Indian Ocean Newsletter", 29 March 1997 ("Horn of Africa Monthly Review", 21 February–28 April 1997).] In October 2000, Ali Said was moved from his position as Minister of Trade and Industry to that of Minister of Foreign Affairs, switching jobs with Haile Woldense. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/954263.stm "Eritrea to hold elections"] , BBC News, October 3, 2000.] He was considered to be a hardliner in Eritrea's continuing struggles with Ethiopia over the border, and was known as a proponent of stronger relations for Eritrea with Middle Eastern nations.Fact|date=February 2007 He was a fluent Arabic speaker, and most of his overseas trips were to Middle Eastern countries. He also made an official visit to Russia in April 2005. [ [http://www.kommersant.com/page.asp?id=570344 "Prepackaged War"] , "Kommersant", April 15, 2005.]

Ali Said died suddenly of a heart attack in his sleep at his home in Eritrea's capital, Asmara, on August 28, 2005. The Eritrean government declared three days of public mourning for him.

Ali Said was married and had four children.

References