In 1974, North Yemeni political leader Abdullah ibn Husayn al-Ahmar traveled to Saudi Arabia to negotiate the transfer of arms to the fledgling Yemen Arab Republic, which was rebuilding its armed forces after a recent civil war. The Royal Saudi Army agreed to donate 31 AML-90s from its own stocks, as well as provide the necessary instructors for training Yemeni crews. When Ali Abdullah Saleh became president of North Yemen in the late 1970s, the AML-90s were transferred to various paramilitary units in Sana'a and repurposed as internal security vehicles. Upon Yemeni unification, they were adopted into the integrated Republic of Yemen Armed Forces. Yemen purchased another 15 AML-90s and AML-60s from France in 1998.