Liberation Day in 2025

When is Yemeni Liberation Day?

Liberation Day is a public holiday in the Republic of Yemen on October 14th each year.

This holiday commemorates the start of the Radfan Uprising against British rule on this day in 1963.

History of Yemeni Liberation Day

Aden had been a British protectorate since the 19th century, with ensuring control of the Suez Canal a key strategic objective for the West. In 1963, the British used the fear of a pan-Arabian movement led by President Nasser of Egypt reducing the control of the local Emirs to form the Federation of South Arabia.

Though the British had indicated they would grant independence in 1968, this failed to quell the nationalist fervour from which two groups, the Front for the Liberation of Occupied South Yemen (FLOSY) and the National Liberation Front (NLF) emerged.

The armed struggle of the NLF and FLOSY began on October 14th 1963 with the throwing of a grenade at a gathering of British officials at Aden Airport.

This began the so-called Aden Emergency (Radfan Uprising) with guerrilla attacks by the NLF and FLOSY and street riots. The British failed to subdue the revolts and British troops left Aden, a year earlier than planned, on November 30th 1973 and the independent People's Republic of South Yemen was proclaimed.

With the country embroiled in a civil war, the idea of a public holiday may not be at the forefront of everyone's mind, but maybe the commemoration of these important events in Yemen's history could be an important reminder of a time, not that long ago, when Yemenis united and prevailed against a common foe.