North Yemen - Definition and Overview

The Yemen Arab Republic, also known as North Yemen, was a country in the northern part of what is now Yemen. Its capital was at Sanaa.

Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Imam Yahya declared northern Yemen an independent nation. Yemen became a member of the Arab League in 1945 and the United Nations in 1947.

Imam Yahya died during an unsuccessful coup attempt in 1948 and was succeeded by his son Ahmad. Imam Ahmad's reign was marked by growing repression, renewed friction with the United Kingdom over the British presence in the south, and growing pressures to support the Arab nationalist objectives of Egyptian President Gamal Abdul Nasser. Ahmad died in September 1962, and was succeeded by his son, the Crown Prince Mohammed al-Badr.

However al-Badr's reign was brief. Revolutionaries inspired by Nasser deposed him the same year of his coronation, and they took control of Sanaa and created the Yemen Arab Republic (YAR). Egypt assisted the YAR with troops and supplies to combat forces loyal to the Imamate, while Saudi Arabia and Jordan supported Badr's royalist forces opposing the newly formed republic. Conflict continued periodically until 1967 when Egyptian troops were withdrawn. By 1968, following a final royalist siege of Sanaa, most of the opposing leaders reached a reconciliation; Saudi Arabia recognized the Republic in 1970.

The Yemen Arab Republic united with the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (South Yemen) on May 22, 1990 to form the Republic of Yemen.

See also: History of Yemen.

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