On the Anniversary of the October 1963 Revolution

This month marks the 61st anniversary of the October 14, 1963 revolution, which erupted in southern Yemen against British colonial rule, which had been entrenched in the country since 1839.

In the 1950s, Aden—the largest city in southern Yemen—began to witness a notable rise in protests against the colonial authorities, aided by the Egyptian Revolution of July 1952, which successfully hampered British power after decades of dominance. Various labor unions were formed in different institutions in Aden, contributing to an increase in protest activities, particularly in the latter half of the 1950s, following the establishment of the Labor Conference, which included active union leaders with a significant presence and influence in trade unionism, politics, and media.

The stage for revolution was set with the establishment of branches of political parties with national and international ties that made the revolution against foreign colonialism their main slogan. They also focused significantly on enhancing national identity and Yemeni unity, both theoretically and practically.

This article will discuss the main forces, currents, and political parties established before the revolution, which took on the task of confronting colonial rule, thwarting its projects, and contributing—directly or indirectly—to the preparation for the October Revolution. It will also examine their roles in shaping national consciousness regarding major local, regional, and international issues, and their efforts to promote Yemeni identity and unity between northern and southern Yemen, in the face of fragmentation and division projects supported by British colonial authorities under their preferred motto, "Divide and Rule."

The United National Front
The United National Front was formed in 1955 as a result of the split of Marxist figures from the Southern Sons League, led by Abdullah Badhib. Alongside the defectors, it included prominent figures in political and trade union activities such as Muhammad Abdu Na'man, Zain Sadiq, Hussein Bawazir, Abdullah Al-Asnaj, and Muhammad Maswat. The front encompassed several cultural associations and national political currents, including the "Yemeni Union," founded by Al-Zubairi and Na'man against the Imamate rule in the early 1950s, and the "Yemeni Liberals." Ideologically, the front represented a blend of Marxist, nationalist, and particularly Nasserist ideas.

The United Front called for the unity of southern Yemen, northern Yemen, and Oman into one state, the dismantling of British occupation, and the overthrow of Imamate rule. It condemned secessionist calls, considering the establishment of a "Greater Yemen" its primary ambition. Later, it abandoned the idea of including Oman in the united state, envisioning a unified republic of Yemen with a centralized system, with Aden as its temporary capital until the Imamate in Sana'a was overthrown.

The United National Front successfully thwarted several colonial projects, including the elections of 1955 and 1959. It also established Yemen's first trade union organization in 1956, the Aden Workers’ Union, which included labor unions and evolved into the leadership of the Labor Conference, organizing a series of strikes and protests for the first time in Yemen's history (Southern Yemen, Ali Al-Sarraf).

In subsequent years, the Labor Conference became the leading political force, taking on the role of the United National Front.

The Labor Conference and the People's Socialist Party
The Labor Conference was established in 1956 to counter the British authorities' measures aimed at suppressing labor unions after their participation in protests against colonialism. Union leaders decided to form a conference that included unions and advocated for workers’ issues. Among its notable leaders were Abdullah Al-Asnaj, Khalil Salman, and Muhammad Maswat.

Although the Labor Conference was established with the support of political and labor leaders from different ideological currents, the strong presence of the Ba'ath Party was evident, especially since the Yemeni branch of the Ba'ath was established in the same year.

In 1958, the "People's Union" was formed from the Labor Conference, associations, clubs, and national figures, opposing the separatist tendencies fueled by the colonial authorities and promoting projects aimed at entrenching division.

The union called for the participation of northern Yemenis in legislative council elections and for their political rights. In 1959, the union led the formation of the "National Gathering," which included members of the Ba'ath Party and the Arab Nationalists based on their personal qualities. The gathering had a significant impact on shaping national and pan-Arab consciousness, emphasizing the unity of the Yemeni struggle and resisting colonial projects, announcing its belief in Arab unity and the struggle for the liberation of Palestine, while excluding Marxist elements from its ranks amid the anti-communist campaign of that time (The Yemeni National Movement, Said Al-Junaahi).

In July 1962, the leadership of the Labor Conference announced the establishment of a political wing for the conference, named the People's Socialist Party. Its aim was to "unify the region into a popular Yemeni republic after liberating Aden and the protectorates from colonial rule, and the Imamate in Yemen from the reactionary rule of the Hamid al-Din family." The party’s slogan was "Unity, Freedom, Socialism," the same as the Ba'ath Party's, underscoring the Ba'ath's influence within the Labor Conference and its political wing.

The newspaper "Al-'Ula," the Labor Conference’s mouthpiece, published in its editorial:

The people want unity—but not the unity of colonialism and reaction against it.
The people want freedom—but not the freedom of colonialism and reaction to play with their destiny.
The people want socialism—but not between colonialism and reaction to exploit its resources.

Regarding its vision for struggle, the party declared that "the struggle will not end until colonialism and its agents are eradicated and the country is liberated from the reactionary forces in the north and imperialism in the south."

The party's popularity surged rapidly amid evolving events after the colonial authorities organized the London negotiations aimed at consolidating the occupation, recognizing it by some princes and sultans and supportive parties. However, the People's Party led the activities rejecting those talks and the resulting document, calling on "the masses, men, women, and children to march to the legislative council (parliament) in Crater," holding "Britain responsible for the dire consequences of its policies," and affirming "continuous popular opposition until liberation from colonialism and reaction, and the achievement of Yemeni unity on socialist and democratic foundations."

On September 24, the masses responded to the People's Party's call to march to the legislative council during its discussion of the London agreement that emerged from the colonial negotiations with some loyalists. Although the event was met with violent repression involving gunfire and tear gas, resulting in three deaths and dozens of injuries, and the authorities arrested prominent leaders of the People's Party, the crowds continued to gather in the streets near the council, declaring their rejection of the agreement and all colonial projects, raising the slogan: "One people, one Yemen."

Two days after the march to the legislative council, Aden and other southern regions were tuned to Sana'a Radio announcing the start of the revolution in northern Yemen against the Imamate rule and the establishment of a republican system.

On September 28, Abdullah Al-Asnaj, the leader of the People's Party, and his comrades were released from prison, and Al-Asnaj delivered a speech to the crowds announcing his support for the September Revolution and readiness to fight to establish and defend it at all costs, stating that this part belonged to the people of Yemen and not to a handful of agents chasing their gains.

The People's Socialist Party described the "Yemeni Revolution as the right step toward achieving Yemeni unity and freeing both the north and south from colonialism and reaction."

At that time, the London Radio quickly incited against the People's Party, alleging its connection to the September revolutionaries, pointing to the appointment of three party members as ministers in the revolutionary government, which the party leadership confirmed, stating that the ministerial members were four, not three as the radio claimed (Call for Unity, Sultan Nagy).

However, the party’s popularity waned due to shifts in its political positions, expressing rejection of armed struggle when the October Revolution erupted, and participating in negotiations and conferences organized by the British colonial authorities in 1965. It later reversed this stance, receiving Egyptian support, and formed, along with the Southern Sons League and the Southern Yemeni Liberation Organization, a new front called "Organization for the Liberation of Occupied South Yemen."

The Ba'ath Party
The Arab Ba'ath Party was established in the late 1940s, with its influence extending through Yemeni students in Baghdad, Damascus, and Cairo. The first branch was established in Yemen in 1956. Like other nationalist parties, the Ba'ath affirmed the unity of the two parts of Yemen, having members in both the south and north, and it had a significant presence in Aden after it took control of the Labor Conference, which was leading unions against British colonialism. However, the Ba'ath's influence declined after Syria's separation from Egypt in 1961, reflecting internal conflicts within the Ba'ath's central leadership in Iraq and Syria. The Popular Vanguard Party split from the Ba'ath, announcing its alignment with the National Front.

The National Front for the Liberation of South Yemen - Branch of the Arab Nationalists Movement
The Arab Nationalists Movement's branch in Yemen was established in 1959 in the Sheikh Othman area of Aden. The establishment of the branch coincided with the spread of Ba'ath ideas, leading to competition between the two movements through the Labor Conference in Aden and the labor union in Taiz. Notable founding members included Faisal Al-Shabhi, Qahtan Al-Shabhi, Abdul Karim Al-Eryani, and Sultan Ahmed Omar. The movement gained significant influence after the September 1962 revolution due to Egyptian support during the alignment between President Gamal Abdel Nasser and the central leadership of the Arab Nationalists Movement. The movement’s ideas spread among military personnel in special forces, paratroopers, and artillery units, consistently advocating for unity between northern and southern Yemen.

The movement emphasized the unity of the struggle against local (Imamate) tyranny and foreign colonialism, gaining traction among a broad spectrum of intellectuals, military personnel, and politicians across Yemen. In 1963, the movement held a large meeting in Sana'a, deciding to form the "National Front for the Liberation of Occupied South Yemen," which included, in addition to the Arab Nationalists Movement, several organizations such as the Revolutionary Organization for Occupied South Yemen, the National Front, the secret formation of free officers and soldiers, the Yafei Reform Front, and tribal formations, all united by a common goal of expelling British colonialism through armed struggle.

The National Front embraced the October 14, 1963 revolution, expanding its activities after the revolution, and held its first conference in 1965. In early 1966, some leaders of the National Front announced its merger with the "Organization for the Liberation of Occupied South Yemen" into a single front named the "Liberation Front." However, the majority of the National Front's leaders and members rejected this merger, considering it a forced and illegitimate consolidation. By the end of that year, they announced the separation of the National Front from the Liberation Front.

Due to its control over many areas that fell into the hands of the revolutionaries and the involvement of its members and leaders in the armed struggle during the revolution, the National Front conducted negotiations with representatives of British colonialism, resulting in the independence of South Yemen. It ruled the independent south from November 30, 1967. Despite the conflicts and struggles that erupted within the front and the changes that affected its name and many of its leaders, its official slogan remained: achieving Yemeni unity.

To this end, the front's leadership participated in several meetings and bilateral agreements with the government of northern Yemen, the most notable being the Cairo Agreement, the Tripoli Declaration in 1972, and the Kuwait meeting in 1979.

In the late 1970s, the front incorporated several southern and northern political currents to form the "Yemeni Socialist Party," which led southern Yemen until the unification with northern Yemen in 1990.

The Democratic People's Union
The Democratic People's Union was established in Aden in the early 1950s, led by Abdullah Badhib, who managed to gather a number of students and intellectuals influenced by scientific socialism—Marxism-Leninism—to form a secret party within the Southern Sons League, of which Badhib was a member before later defecting.

The initial nucleus of those influenced by Marxist thought was "The Vanguard of Marxists," which included Abdullah Badhib, Mahmoud Salem, Khaled Fadhel Mansour, and Omar Al-Jaawi.

After Badhib's split from the League, he continued to promote his socialist ideas through his writing activities in various newspapers and magazines published during that time, whether working for "Al-Nahda"—where he served as an editor and later as managing editor—or those he founded, such as "Al-Mustaqbal," which he established in 1949 while still a high school student. Due to his critical writings about the situation, Badhib faced trial in 1955 by the colonial authorities in Aden, and his trial sparked public outrage, forcing the authorities to release him after he signed a commitment backed by a financial guarantee of 2000 shillings.

In 1957, Badhib formed the "New Literature Supporters Forum," followed by the "Free Writers Front," both of which served as cultural platforms for the struggle against colonialism. The following year, he was compelled to flee Aden to Taiz, where he established a branch of his party named "Democratic People's Union," opened an office called "Liberation of Occupied South Yemen," and published "Al-Tali'a" magazine, alongside broadcasting directed programs calling for the fight against colonialism and the liberation of the country.

After returning in late 1961, the founding conference of the Union took place, which is considered the first political organization for Marxists in southern Yemen. The conference issued a "National Charter" serving as the party's political program.

The charter defined the party’s goals and political principles, emphasizing that the party "strives to achieve the objectives of the Yemeni people's movement aimed at national liberation, Yemeni unity, and democracy," stressing the importance of "affirming the principle of unity in word and action and denouncing all misleading slogans, while combating divisive currents within the national movement."

When the September Revolution erupted, the Union was at the forefront of supporting it, sending large numbers of volunteers to defend the revolution. After the October Revolution began, Badhib and his party became part of the revolutionary vanguard, stating in a declaration supporting the October Revolution that it was "a natural development of the national movement in the south, an evolved extension of the revolution in the north, and part of the comprehensive Arab revolution" (Southern Yemen, Ali Al-Sarraf).