History of Yemen Communist No. 1 FAILED COUNTRY ❗️Today Still at War
Today, Yemen as a whole, after the merger of North Yemen and South Yemen into the Republic of Yemen, has an estimated population of around 34 million people and an area of approximately 530,000 square kilometers. Its population is similar to that of Central Java Province, with an area four times the size of Java Island.
Yemen is considered a least developed country. In 2019, the United Nations reported that Yemen was the country most in need of humanitarian assistance, with approximately 24 million people, or 85% of its population. In 2020, the country ranked number one on the Failed States Index and the second-worst country on the Global Hunger Index, after the Central African Republic. It also had the lowest Human Development Index among all non-African countries.
This is all due to the conflict in Yemen's civil war. There have been at least two major civil wars in Yemen in recent decades: the civil war in 1994 and the civil war that began in 2014 and is still ongoing.
The Yemeni civil war is a highly complex conflict involving many actors, both domestic and international. This conflict reflects not only internal tensions between various groups in Yemen but also regional tensions between major powers such as Saudi Arabia and Iran. In addition to the enormous loss of human life, this war has also plunged Yemen into one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
History of Yemen & Communism
Long before today's civil war, in the 1500s, the Ottoman Empire absorbed parts of Yemen into its empire.
Then, in 1839, the region of Aden in South Yemen came under British rule. Britain became Aden's colony and protectorate. Since then, Yemen has been divided into two parts: South Yemen and North Yemen. North Yemen and South Yemen are two distinct entities.
Moving on to 1918, the Ottoman Empire dissolved. North Yemen gained independence and was ruled by Imam Yahya until 1948, or about 30 years. Imam Yahya was assassinated by the feudal government. However, his son, Ahmad, fought against the feudal government's opponents and succeeded his father.
This continued until 1962, when Imam Ahmad died and was succeeded by his son. However, military officers seized power and established the Yemen Arab Republic. Naturally, this situation was not peaceful, with conflict continuing between Imam Ahmad's loyalists and the new government.
Meanwhile, things were not going well in South Yemen either, with numerous pro-independence rebellions against the British. Until 1967, the British withdrew from the southern region after years of rebellion, and the former territories of South Yemen united to form the People's Republic of Yemen. It later became an independent state that same year. However, two years later, in 1969, a communist coup renamed the southern region the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen and re-aligned it with the Soviet bloc.
South Yemen and Communism
Communism in Yemen has a complex history and is closely tied to the political dynamics of the region during the 19th century.
South Yemen was the only Marxist state in the Arab world with close ties to the Soviet Union, China, and other Eastern Bloc countries. Economic and military support from the Soviet Union was crucial to the country's survival.
The Yemen Socialist Party (YSP), the dominant force in the country, adhered to Marxist-Leninist principles and established a communist-oriented state.