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NDF Rebellion

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NDF Rebellion
Part of the Cold War and the Arab Cold War

CIA map of the NDF area of operations in May 1982
Date1978 – 1982
(4 years)
Location
Result Government victory
Belligerents
 North Yemen
Islamic Front
Supported by:
 Republic of China
 United States
NDF
Supported by:
 South Yemen
 Libya
Commanders and leaders
Yemen Arab Republic Ali Abdullah Saleh
Yemen Arab Republic Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar
Yahya Shami
Sultan Ahmad Umar [ar]
South Yemen Abdul Fattah Ismail
Strength
15,000

The NDF Rebellion was an uprising and civil war in the Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen) by the National Democratic Front, under Yahya Shami,[2] between 1978 and 1982.[3]

History

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Beginning of the rebellion

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The rebellion began in 1978, following the assassination of Ahmad al-Ghashmi and the rise of Ali Abdullah Saleh.[3] The National Democratic Front (NDF) was supported in its rebellion by South Yemen[3] and Libya.[2] The NDF enjoyed various successes throughout the early phases of the conflict, although its foreign support dwindled after the peace treaty between North and South Yemen following the 1979 border war.[3]

There were several attempts at ceasefires between the government and the NDF. Kuwait managed to facilitate the signing of a ceasefire between the government and the NDF on 26 November 1981, although hostilities re-erupted in December 1981.[2] Later, the Palestinian Liberation Organization was able to mediate a ceasefire agreement on 3 April 1982, however hostilities began again later that same month, with the NDF capturing Juban. Government forces in turn attacked NDF positions in Juban in the following month and retook the territory.

May 1982

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South Yemeni support for the NDF diminished under the presidency of the less overtly militant Ali Nasir Muhammad,[3] and their support for the NDF finally ended in May 1982.[2] Dhamar, a major NDF stronghold, sustained major damage during the 1982 North Yemen earthquake.[4] The NDF was eventually defeated by a reorganized North Yemeni Army in conjunction with the pro-government Islamic Front, allowing the North Yemeni government to finally establish control over the North-South border region.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Foreign Policy in Focus, Yemen, the United States, and Al-Qaida. December 19, 2001, retrieved Sept. 19, 2009 Archived July 26, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ a b c d 10. Kingdom of Yemen/Yemen Arab Republic/North Yemen (1918-1990) - University of Central Arkansas
  3. ^ a b c d e f Burrowes, Robert D. (2010). Historical Dictionary of Yemen. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 252.
  4. ^ "Earthquake Toll in Yemen Area Is Put at 1,082". The New York Times. Associated Press. 15 December 1982. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 30 November 2019.