- Born:
- July 2, 1936, Qinā, Egypt
- Died:
- July 19, 2012, Cleveland, Ohio (aged 76)
- Title / Office:
- vice president (2011-2011), Egypt
Omar Suleiman
-
Who was Omar Suleiman?
Omar Suleiman (1936–2012) was a prominent Egyptian intelligence official and politician. He directed the Egyptian General Intelligence Service (EGIS) from 1993 to 2011, becoming a close ally of President Hosni Mubarak and a powerful figure in Egypt. Suleiman handled important diplomatic assignments and fostered relationships with Western intelligence agencies. In January 2011, amid protests against Mubarak's regime, Suleiman was appointed as Egypt's first vice president in nearly three decades. After Mubarak stepped down in February 2011, Suleiman left his position. In April 2012, he announced his candidacy for the presidential election but was later disqualified. Suleiman passed away in July 2012 while receiving medical care in the United States.
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What important position did Omar Suleiman hold in Egypt?
Omar Suleiman was the director of the Egyptian General Intelligence Service (EGIS) from 1993 to 2011. He was appointed vice president of Egypt by President Hosni Mubarak on January 29, 2011, becoming the first person to hold that title during Mubarak's nearly 30-year presidency. On February 11, 2011, amid ongoing protests, Suleiman announced Mubarak's resignation and the transfer of authority to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. He died in July 2012.
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When did Omar Suleiman become the vice president of Egypt?
Omar Suleiman became the vice president of Egypt on January 29, 2011, under President Hosni Mubarak. This appointment marked the first time Mubarak had designated a vice president during his nearly 30-year presidency. However, Suleiman's tenure was brief; on February 11, 2011, he announced Mubarak's resignation, which also ended his own position in the government.
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What other roles did Omar Suleiman have besides being vice president?
Besides serving as vice president, Omar Suleiman was the director of the Egyptian General Intelligence Service (EGIS) from 1993 to 2011. He was a close ally of President Hosni Mubarak, and he became one of Egypt's most powerful figures. Suleiman handled important diplomatic assignments and cultivated close relationships with Western intelligence agencies. The Egyptian government made his identity public in 2001, which was a break from keeping the identities of EGIS directors secret. He also worked to broker agreements between Israel and the Palestinians as well as between rival Palestinian factions.
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How was Omar Suleiman involved during the Egyptian Revolution of 2011?
During the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, Omar Suleiman, a close ally of Hosni Mubarak, was appointed as the first-ever vice president of Egypt on January 29, after Mubarak had ruled for nearly 30 years without officially naming a deputy. On February 11, 2011, amid continuing protests, Suleiman appeared on Egyptian television to announce that Mubarak had stepped down as president. Governing authority was transferred to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. Later that month, the Egyptian government confirmed that Suleiman had survived an assassination attempt on February 4, a week before Mubarak left office, when unknown gunmen opened fire on his vehicle in Cairo.
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Why was Omar Suleiman's time as vice president significant in Egyptian history?
Omar Suleiman's brief tenure as vice president of Egypt in early 2011 was significant because it was the first time in Hosni Mubarak's nearly 30-year presidency that he appointed a vice president. This appointment came during the January 2011 protests against political repression, corruption, and poverty that threatened Mubarak's regime. As vice president, Suleiman announced on Egyptian television that Mubarak had stepped down as president and that governing authority would be transferred to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. This transition left Suleiman without a position in the government.
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Omar Suleiman (born July 2, 1936, Qinā, Egypt—died July 19, 2012, Cleveland, Ohio) was an Egyptian intelligence official who served as the director of the Egyptian General Intelligence Service (EGIS; 1993–2011) and briefly served as vice president of Egypt under Pres. Ḥosnī Mubārak in early 2011, becoming the first person to serve as vice president in Mubārak’s nearly three-decade presidency. During his tenure as director of EGIS, Suleiman, a close ally of Mubārak, emerged as one of the most powerful figures in Egypt, handling important diplomatic assignments and developing close relationships with Western intelligence agencies.
Suleiman was born in the Upper Egyptian town of Qinā in 1936. He graduated from the Egyptian Military Academy in Cairo as an infantry officer and received further military training in the Soviet Union. He participated in the third Arab-Israeli war in 1967 and the fourth Arab-Israeli war in 1973. He received military training in the United States in the 1980s, after Egypt began to receive extensive military aid from the United States following the conclusion of a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. In 1986 Suleiman became the deputy head of military intelligence in Egypt.
In 1993, as the security services fought to defeat a violent Islamist insurgency in Egypt, he was appointed director of EGIS. As director, Suleiman was entrusted with a portfolio that included foreign intelligence-gathering operations, counterterrorism, and protection for officials. Suleiman was credited with foiling an attempt on Mubārak’s life during a visit to Ethiopia in 1995 by persuading him to ride in an armoured limousine while on the visit. Militants did open fire on the president’s car in Addis Ababa, but the armour prevented any harm to Mubārak.
As he became established as one of Mubārak’s most trusted advisers, Suleiman began to take on important diplomatic assignments. The Egyptian government made his identity public in 2001, breaking with the usual practice of keeping the identities of EGIS directors secret. His highest-profile diplomatic assignments dealt with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, where he worked to broker agreements between Israel and the Palestinians as well as between rival Palestinian factions. Suleiman also worked closely with Western intelligence agencies, especially in tracking and fighting Islamist militant groups.
In January 2011 protests against political repression, corruption, and poverty erupted in Egypt, threatening the stability of the Mubārak regime. Mubārak, who had ruled for nearly 30 years without officially naming a deputy, appointed Suleiman vice president of Egypt on January 29. On February 11, amid continuing protests, Suleiman appeared on Egyptian television to announce that Mubārak had stepped down as president and that governing authority would be transferred to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, a group of senior military officers. The transition left Suleiman without a position in the government, and he did not make further public appearances after Mubārak left office. Later that month the Egyptian government confirmed that Suleiman had survived an assassination attempt on February 4, a week before Mubārak left office, when unknown gunmen opened fire on his vehicle in Cairo.
In April 2012 Suleiman declared himself a candidate in Egypt’s upcoming presidential election, scheduled for May and June 2012. His entry into the race was decried by Islamists and liberals who saw him as being too closely associated with the Mubārak regime. Days after announcing his candidacy, Suleiman was disqualified from running by Egypt’s presidential election commission, which charged that he had failed to acquire the 30,000 petition signatures required to enter the race.
Suleiman died unexpectedly in July 2012 while receiving medical care in the United States.
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