South Yemen Civil War

South Yemen Civil War
Governorates which previously formed the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen in Red
Date 13—24 January 1986 Location South Yemen Status Ali Nasir Muhammad's defeat Death of Abdul Fattah Ismail Succession by Ali Salim al-Beidh
Belligerents
Abdul Fattah Ismail's faction	Ali Nasir Muhammad's faction
Commanders and leaders
Abdul Fattah Ismail † Former President Ali Ahmad Nasir Antar † Vice-president of South Yemen Saleh Muslih Qassem † Defense minister of South Yemen Ali Salim al-Beidh YSP Politburo Member	Ali Nasir Muhammad President of South Yemen
Casualties and losses
4,000-10,000 dead[1] 60,000 refugees

The South Yemen Civil War, colloquially referred to as The Events of '86, or more simply as The Events, was a failed coup d'etat and armed conflict which took place in January 1986 in South Yemen. The civil war developed as a result of ideological and tribal tensions between two factions of the ruling Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP), centred on Abdul Fattah Ismail and Ali Nasir Muhammad for the leadership of the YSP. The conflict quickly escalated into a costly civil war of about half a month long, which resulted in thousands of casualties. Additionally, the conflict resulted in the demise of much of the Yemeni Socialist Party's most experienced leadership cadre, contributing to the country's eventual unification with North Yemen in 1990.

Background

In 1980, PDRY president Abdul Fattah Ismail resigned and went into exile. His successor, Ali Nasir Muhammad, took a less interventionist stance toward both North Yemen and neighbouring Oman. The ruling Yemeni Socialist Party was increasingly polarised between supporters of Abdul Fattah Ismail who espoused a hardline leftist ideology and were closely aligned to the Soviet Union, and those of Ali Nasir Muhammad who espoused a more pragmatic domestic policies and friendlier relations with Arab states and the West.

On June 1985, the YSP politburo adopted a resolution stating that anyone who resorted to violence in settling internal political disputes is considered a criminal and a betrayer of the homeland.^[2]

War

On January 13, 1986, bodyguards of Ali Nasir Muhammad opened fire on members of the Yemeni Socialist Party politburo as the body was due to meet. Most of the politburo members were armed and had their own bodyguards, so gunfire broke out. Ali Nasir´s supporters were not in the meeting room at the time. Vice-president Ali Ahmad Nasir Antar, Defense minister Saleh Muslih Qassem and the YSP disciplinary chief, Ali Shayi Hadi were killed in the shootout. Abdul Fattah Ismail survived the attack but was apparently killed later on that day as naval forces loyal to Ali Nasir shelled the city.^[2][3]

Fighting lasted for 12 days and resulted in thousands of casualties, Ali Nasir's ouster, and Ismail's death. Some 60,000 people, including Ali Nasir, fled to the YAR. In the conflict that took the lives of anywhere from 4,000 to 10,000 people, al-Beidh was one of the few high-ranking officials on the winning side who survived.^[1]

Many foreign civilians fled the country. British Commonwealth citizens were repatriated to Djibouti by HMS Newcastle, HMS Jupiter & the Royal Yacht Brittania

Succession

A former Politburo member, al-Beidh took the top position in the YSP following a 12-day 1986 civil war between forces loyal to former chairman Abdul Fattah Ismail and then-chairman Ali Nasir Muhammad. An Ismail ally, he took control after Muhammad's defeat and defection and Ismail's death.^[4][5]

Aftermath

Reunification of Yemen and 1994 civil war

Suffering a loss of more than half its aid from the Soviet Union from 1986 to 1989,^[6] and an interest in possible oil reserves on the border between the countries, al-Beidh's government worked toward unification with North Yemen officials.^[7][8]

Efforts toward unification proceeded from 1988. Although the governments of the PDRY and the YAR declared that they approved a future union in 1972, little progress was made toward unification, and relations were often strained.

In 1990, North Yemen and South Yemen united into one country, but in February 1994, clashes between northern and southern forces started and quickly developed into a full-scale civil war. As northern forces advanced on Aden, al-Beidh declared the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Yemen on 21 May.^[9] The southern resistance however failed. Saleh enlisted Salafi and Jihadist forces to fight against Southern forces of the Yemeni Socialist Party. Forces loyal to Ali Nasir also took part. Northern forces entered Aden on 7 July.

Southern Movement

In 2007 southern army officers and security officials who had been forced into retirement after the 1994 war started demonstrations calling for their reinstatement or compensation. The protests gradually developed into a movement for autonomy or independence of the former PDRY.

In 2009 prominent Southern Islamist leader Tariq al-Fadhli, who had fought for the Mujahideen in Afghanistan against the Soviet war in Afghanistan, broke his alliance with President Saleh to join the secessionist South Yemen Movement, which gave a new thrust to the Southern movement, in which al-Fadhli for some time became a prominent figure. That same year, on 28 April, a revolt in the South started again, with massive demonstrations in most major towns.^[10]

See also

• South Yemen Movement
• List of modern conflicts in the Middle East

References