· July 1978 - Saleh takes power in the former North Yemen. · Feb. 1979 - Saleh crushes an attempt to overthrow him. · May 1990 - Pro-Western North Yemen and socialist South Yemen merge after 300 years of separation to form a powerful new republic dominating the strategic entrance to the Red Sea. o North Yemeni leader Saleh proclaims unification in Aden after the parliaments of both states elect him president. · July 1994 - Northern Yemen declares the almost three-month Yemeni civil war is over after gaining control of Aden, its southern foe's last bastion. Sanaa declares that former vice-president Ali Salem al-Baidh and his supporters who tried to secede from a four-year merger with the north have been defeated and unity is assured. o Southern leaders led by Baidh, who set up a breakaway southern state on 21 May, are forced to flee into exile. · Oct. 2000 - The bombing of USS Cole in Aden harbour kills 17 sailors and blows a hole in navy vessel's hull. . November 2001 - Saleh declares support for U.S. "war on terror". . February 2008 - A fragile truce is signed with North Yemen's Houthis, Zaidi Shiite tribes, but the four-year revolt soon resumes in the northwest region of Saada. Saleh unilaterally declares the war over in July 2008, but full-scale fighting resumes a year later. · Jan. 2009 - Al Qaeda's Yemeni and Saudi wings merge in a new group called al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) led by Nasser al-Wahayshi. · Nov. 2009 - Saudi Arabia launches a military offensive against rebels after a cross-border incursion. o The Houthi deny accusations that infiltrators entered Saudi territory and call the offensive against the group "unjustified", accusing it of mainly targeting civilians. · Jan. 2010 - A meeting of Western and Gulf foreign ministers in London aims to bolster Yemen's fight against al Qaeda. · Feb. 2010 - Yemeni and northern Shiite rebels agree to a truce aimed at ending the war. · 3 Feb. 2011 - A day of anti-government protests attracts more than 20,000 people on to the streets in Sanaa. · 2 March 2011 - The opposition presents Saleh with a plan for a smooth transition of power, offering him a graceful exit. o Saleh, hoping to defuse increasingly violent protests, says he will draw up a new constitution to create a parliamentary system of government. An opposition spokesman swiftly rejects the proposal. · 18 March - Snipers kill 52 protesters among crowds that flocked to a sit-in at Sanaa University after Friday prayers. The killings prompt Saleh to declare a state of emergency for 30 days. The tourism minister and head of the ruling party's foreign affairs committee quit in protest. · 20 March - Saleh fires his government. · 21 March - Senior army commanders say they have switched support to pro-democracy activists, including General Ali Mohsen, commander of the northwest military zone and a Saleh ally. · 22 March - Opposition groups reject Saleh's offer to leave office after organising parliamentary elections by January 2012. · 23 March - Saleh offers to step down by the end of 2011. He also proposes to hold a referendum on a new constitution, then a parliamentary election and then a presidential poll. Saleh makes the offer to the opposition and to Mohsen. · 25 March - Saleh says he is ready to cede power to stop more bloodshed in Yemen, but only to what he called "safe hands" as thousands rally against him in "Day of Departure" protests. · 26 March - Saleh says he is prepared to step down if allowed a dignified departure. o Foreign Minister Abubakr al-Qirbi says discussions between the two sides are focusing on the time frame of a transition, among other issues. · 27 March - The ruling party and its leader President Saleh will meet for crisis talks. o More than 80 people have been killed since protests started in January.
