To understand and examine the North Yemen Civil War (1962–1970), we first have to grasp the tribal structure of Yemen.
Yemen is essentially a tribal nation and society more so than any other state in the Arab world. Tribal membership defines social status in Yemen to a great extent. In society, the tribesman is the gold standard. Compared to other states, Yemen's tribes are significantly more significant and continue to pose challenges to the state on several fronts.
Since the vast majority of Yemenis utilize their tribes as their primary point of reference, the emphasis placed on them in Yemen has significant social and political ramifications. In addition to guaranteeing acceptance into a group, tribalism also establishes a tribesman's place in the world and offers support and safety when needed. The definition of the person and the defining of the political landscape involve the family, clan, tribe, and confederation as stages.
Tribes in Yemen are significant economic units, sharing resources like water, grazing areas, and disaster assistance. Local development associations (LDAs) have played a crucial role in community development, particularly in northern Yemen, where they constructed roads, schools, and water systems with minimal government support, overseen by tribal shaykhs.
Sayyid families, descendants of Prophet Muhammad, have historically been influential in Yemeni politics, particularly in the north. Zaydi imams were required to be sayyids, and they acted as impartial mediators between religious scholars and tribes. Their villages were considered protected areas. The 1962 revolution and civil war significantly impacted their standing and function.
Yahya Muhammad Hamid ed-Din was born in 1869 into the Hamidaddin branch of the al-Qasimi dynasty. He effectively ruled the mountainous regions of what would become North Yemen. The Ottomans, although present, did not fully recognize the Imamate’s authority. Yahya sought to drive them out after World War I. He became Imam in 1904 and pursued an isolationist, religiously grounded monarchy.
Yahya was assassinated in 1948 in a coup. His son, Ahmad bin Yahya, restored control, but at the cost of allowing tribes to loot Sanaa. This deepened urban dissatisfaction, paving the way for republican support in the 1960s.
Ahmad’s reign continued his father’s isolationism but was marked by political instability and external diplomatic maneuvering. Upon his death in 1962, his son al-Badr was crowned Imam—only to be overthrown within a week by nationalist officers backed by Egypt, sparking the civil war and formation of the Yemen Arab Republic (YAR).
Egypt supported the republicans under Nasser to promote pan-Arabism, while Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the UK supported the royalists. The war featured conventional and guerrilla warfare. At its peak, Egypt had up to 70,000 troops deployed in Yemen.
The war was brutal—marked by famine, disease, and atrocities on both sides. Notably, Egyptian forces used chemical weapons against villages, causing international outrage.
Egypt’s withdrawal following the 1967 war with Israel, along with international pressure, opened the path to a settlement. In 1970, a compromise republic was formed, ending centuries of imamate rule.
Though the civil war ended formally, Yemen continued to experience instability. North Yemen’s transition to a republic laid the groundwork for later unification with the South in 1990, but tribalism and Cold War dynamics left deep scars.