Saudi-Yemeni War

The Saudi-Yemeni War was waged between Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom of Yemen in March 1934 . The reason for the dispute was the rule over the province of Asir . Saudi Arabia won the war that killed around 2,100 people.

Asir

This area in the southwest of what is now Saudi Arabia was ruled by the Sassanids (Persia), then the Arabs , Rasulids (Yemen), Ottomans (Turkey), Wahhabis (Arabia), Egyptians and again the Ottomans. Since this area was mostly on the outermost edge of the empire, it was mostly autonomous, de facto independent and completely independent from 1823–1872 until it was conquered again by the Ottomans. In 1916 Asir took part in the Arab revolt against the Ottomans and became independent again. In 1927 it was occupied by the newly strengthened Saudi Arabia and in 1932 it was annexed against Yemeni protests.

The immediate cause

In 1934 the Idrisids fled from Asir to Yemen , which was already claiming territory, and called for the violent liberation of Asir. An Arab delegation was arrested, and King Abd al-Aziz ibn Saud declared war on Yemen.

End of war

The Yemeni troops were defeated along the entire front and had to request a ceasefire. At the same time, it was also not in the Saudi interest to expand its own territory to include a few unrest provinces. To strengthen their negotiating position, the Saudis occupied the Yemeni coast up to the important port city of Al-Hudaida (Al-Hodeida, Hodeida).

peace contract

On May 20, 1934, after brief negotiations, the parties reached an agreement in Ta'if . In the Taif Agreement , all Saudi territorial claims were confirmed. Yemen renounced asir, jazan and najran . The borderline remained controversial and undefined until the Second Jeddah Agreement in 2000 specified the old treaty.

literature

• Clive Leatherdal: Britain and Saudi Arabia 1925–1939. The Imperial Oasis . Abingdon / Oxon: Frank Cass 1983, pp. 153ff.