Leader of South Yemen’s Socialist Party
Founder and chief ideologue of the Yemeni Socialist Party, he was South Yemen's de facto leader from 1978 to 1980 and died in the 1986 civil war.
A South Yemeni revolutionary leader central to the Yemeni Socialist Party’s formation in 1978. He left power in 1980 and stayed in the USSR, then returned and opposed Ali Nasir Muhammad. He died during the armed party conflict in 1986.
Activities and affiliations
-
South Yemen state institutionsChairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's CouncilMain
Political and party leadership -
Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP)General Secretary of the Central Committee
Political and party leadership
Career Timeline
- 1963Co-founded the NLF and led its underground fedayeen in Aden
- 1967Minister of Culture, National Guidance and Yemeni Unity
- 1969NLF Central Committee Secretary-General, de facto leader
- 1971Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Council (head of state)
- 1978Founded the Yemeni Socialist Party, its first General Secretary
- 1979Signed the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation with the USSR
- 1980Resigned all posts citing health, then moved to Moscow
- 1985Returned and rejoined the YSP Central Committee as Secretary
Related historical events
State and economic-policy context
A South Yemeni revolutionary leader central to the Yemeni Socialist Party’s formation in 1978. He left power in 1980 and stayed in the USSR, then returned and opposed Ali Nasir Muhammad. He died during the armed party conflict in 1986.
Different financial and enterprise systems complicated integration with North Yemen after unification in 1990. The southern state commercial bank and public-enterprise liabilities became issues in financial reform. South Yemen should not be conflated with the later unified oil economy.