General information
Part of Conflict: South Yemen: Government
Date of first stated goals of incompatibility: 1986-01-13
Comment on date of first stated goal of incompatibility: On 13 January 1986, the South Yemeni President Ali Nasser Mohammed tried to launch a pre-emptive strike against his main political opponents within the governing YSP (Yemen Socialist Party). Before noon 13 January, a radio announcement was broadcasted in the capital of Aden stating that the President had survived a coup attempt by members of YSP. The coup was claimed to have been directed by, among others, Abdel Fattah Ismai, former secretary-general of YSP and President of South Yemen until 1980.
However, later it became known that at the time of the radio broadcast, a number of the President’s bodyguards had entered the political bureau session hall in the YSP central committee secretariat, where a meeting was about to be held by several party officials who opposed the President, and fired indiscriminately. A number of people were killed instantly, while some managed to escape, one of them being Abdul Fattah Ismail.
Following President Muhammed’s assassination attempt on his rivals, there was no longer a possibility of keeping the current structures in the government. Supporters of the rival factions engaged in armed struggle in order to secure the power for their individual side.
Date of first use of armed force: 1986-01-13
Comment on date of first use of armed force: On 13 January 1986, following the radio broadcast of the alleged coup attempt against the South Yemeni President Mohammad and his subsequent execution of several of his opponents, the violence spread quickly throughout the capital. The fighting was being waged between supporters of the President and supporters of the opposing Abdul Fattah Ismail faction, with both sides using tanks and artillery.
Abdul Fattah Ismail, a former South Yemeni President, and a few other rivals of the President managed to escape the President’s bodyguards’ attack, and disappeared from the site in armoured vehicles. However, Ismail was never seen again and rumours circulated that he had been killed shortly afterwards. Later it was claimed that he was being held by pro-Mohammad forces close to the North Yemeni border. There was, however, no clear evidence of the latter and it remains unclear what happened to Ismail.
First Battle Related Death: 1986-01-13
Comment on First Battle Related Death: On 13 January 1986, following the radio broadcast of the alleged coup attempt against the South Yemeni President Mohammad and his subsequent execution of several of his opponents, the violence spread quickly throughout the capital. The fighting was being waged between supporters of the President and supporters of the opposing Abdul Fattah Ismail faction, with both sides using tanks and artillery.
Abdul Fattah Ismail, a former South Yemeni President, and a few other rivals of the President managed to escape the President’s bodyguards’ attack, and disappeared from the site in armoured vehicles. However, Ismail was never seen again and rumours circulated that he had been killed shortly afterwards. Later it was claimed that he was being held by pro-Mohammad forces close to the North Yemeni border. There was, however, no clear evidence of the latter and it remains unclear what happened to Ismail.
It is not clear how many people died in the fighting that lasted for about a week, figures range from a couple of thousands to about 10 000 – 15 000. Due to the immediate heavy fighting, the date of the first battle related death is set to 13 January 1986.
Date when dyad reached 25 battle releated deaths: 1986-01-13
Comment on date when dyad reached 25 battle related deaths: On 13 January 1986, following the radio broadcast of the alleged coup attempt against the South Yemeni President Mohammad and his subsequent execution of several of his opponents, the violence spread quickly throughout the capital. The fighting was being waged between supporters of the President and supporters of the opposing Abdul Fattah Ismail faction, with both sides using tanks and artillery.
Abdul Fattah Ismail, a former South Yemeni President, and a few other rivals of the President managed to escape the President’s bodyguards’ attack, and disappeared from the site in armoured vehicles. However, Ismail was never seen again and rumours circulated that he had been killed shortly afterwards. Later it was claimed that he was being held by pro-Mohammad forces close to the North Yemeni border. There was, however, no clear evidence of the latter and it remains unclear what happened to Ismail.
It is not clear how many people died in the fighting that lasted for about a week, figures range from a couple of thousands to about 10 000 – 15 000. Due to the immediate heavy fighting and the large number of people killed in the short period of fighting, the date when the conflict reached 25 battle-related deaths is set to 13 January 1986, even though it is not known how many people died on the first day of the fighting.
Conflict issues
Annual information
This section contains annual information systematically collected by the UCDP.
1986
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 1001 |
| Best | 1001 |
| Low | 1 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of South Yemen): n/a
Side B (YSP - AFI): n/a
Dyad Archive
This section contains annual information no longer systematically collected by the UCDP.
1986 Dyad Archive
Comment on Yearly Battle Related Deaths: UCDP focuses on the intensity level for most conflicts in the period pre-1989. Dyad years with a minor armed conflict are estimated to have > 25 battle-related deaths. The interstate conflict between North Yemen and South Yemen has been active one year prior to 1975 and the total battle-related deaths in numbers include this year.
Comment on Active: After months of increasing tensions within the leading YSP (Yemen Socialist Party) the incumbent president Muhammed staged a coup attempt and blamed it on his opponents while attempting to have them assassinated. Some of the opponents survived the assassination attempt and an intensive battle over government power followed between supporters of the President and supporters of the Ismail faction. The fighting mainly took place in the capital of Aden and its surrounding areas.
Negotiations: NO
Comment on Negotiations: The Soviet Union made attempts at mediating between the parties but it is unclear if negotiations on the incompatibility took place.
Victory: YES
Victorious side: B
Comment on Victory: President Muhammed left the country soon after the fighting broke out and before he was able to return the troops supporting him had been defeated and the opposition had taken power. On 19 January 1986, a radio broadcast in Aden announced that a “collective leadership” had been established by the rival faction under, among others, Salim Salih Muhammad. The ousted President Mohammad had reportedly arrived in Ethiopia on the previous day.
Comment on Victorious Side: YSP (Yemen Socialist Party) - Abdul Fattah Ismail faction
Comment on Total Battle Related Deaths: YSP (Yemen Socialist Party) - Abdul Fattah Ismail faction
Terminated: YES
Type of termination: Victory
Date of termination: 1986-01-19
Comment on Termination: President Muhammed left the country soon after the fighting broke out and before he was able to return the troops supporting him had been defeated and the opposition had taken power. On 19 January, a radio broadcast in Aden announced that a “collective leadership” had been established by the rival faction under, among others, Salim Salih Muhammad. The ousted President Mohammad had reportedly arrived in Ethiopia on the previous day.
Comment on Termination Date: The first announcements of rebel victory came on 19 January. Although Ethiopian and several Arab states, such as Syria and Libya, claimed on 22 respectively 23 January that President Mohammad still controlled the capital, it was clear that the troops loyal to the ousted President had been defeated by 19 January. Furthermore, the ousted President were reported to have arrived in Ethiopia on the previous day. The new government of the People’s Republic of Yemen was starting to be formed sometime between 24-27 January. On 6 February the surviving members of the Politburo were joined by five new members elected after the crisis.
