Yemen, North

Yemen, North A country on the south-western tip of the Arabian peninsula, it came under the rule of the Ottoman Empire in 1517. The scene of heavy fighting during World War I between Ottoman troops and the British garrisons in Aden, it became independent in 1918. With British support, Imam Yahya was declared ruler. He established a central government and administration, while satisfying the traditional Muslim tribes through the establishment of Islamic law, the Shariah. He was assassinated in 1948 and succeeded by his son Ahmad, who ruled until his death in 1962. During this period, the country became relatively isolated and cut off from technological and economic developments. In the last decade of his rule, Ahmad faced increasingly strong opposition from those sections dissatisfied with the country's isolation, i.e. urban intellectuals, the army, and commercial groups.

Ahmad's son, Muhammad al-Badr, was immediately opposed by General Abdullah al-Sallal, who proclaimed the Yemen Arab Republic. While the former enjoyed the support of Saudi Arabia and the UK, the latter was backed by both Syria and Egypt. Civil war ensued and was not ended until 1970. A fragile republican coalition government was formed, which was replaced in 1974 by a military coup. Under the military government of, first, Hussein al Ghashmi and, from 1978, Ali Abdullah Salleh, the country began to look to Western and Saudi Arabian help and advice, despite the hostility of many of the traditionalist tribal leaders. Given the latter's opposition, progress was relatively modest, which led to the persistence of low rates of literacy and life expectancy. Despite a number of clashes with its neighbour, the Democratic People's Republic of (South) Yemen, during the 1970s and 1980s, it united with the latter in 1990 to form the Republic of Yemen.