Federation of South Arabia in the context of "Aden Emergency"

South Yemen, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY), abbreviated to Democratic Yemen, was a country in South Arabia that existed in what is now southeast Yemen from 1967 until its unification with the Yemen Arab Republic in 1990. The sole communist state in the Middle East and the Arab world, it comprised the southern and eastern governorates of the present-day Republic of Yemen, including the islands of Perim, Kamaran, and the Socotra Archipelago. It bordered the Yemen Arab Republic to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the north, Oman to the east, the Arabian Sea to the southeast, and the Gulf of Aden to the south. Its capital and largest city was Aden.

South Yemen's origins can be traced to 1874 with the creation of the British Colony of Aden and the Aden Protectorate, which consisted of two-thirds of present-day Yemen. Prior to 1937, what was to become the Colony of Aden had been governed as a part of British India, originally as the Aden Settlement subordinate to the Bombay Presidency and then as a Chief Commissioner's province. After the establishments of the Protectorate and Federation of South Arabia amidst rising Pan-Arab and anti-colonial sentiment, an armed rebellion began in 1963 that was led by the National Liberation Front (NLF) and the Front for the Liberation of Occupied South Yemen (FLOSY) against British colonial rule. The Federation and Protectorate of South Arabia were overthrown to become the People's Republic of Southern Yemen (PRSY) on 30 November 1967.

Aden (Arabic: عَدَنْ‎, romanized: ʿAdan; IPA: [ʕa.dan]) is a port city located in Yemen in the southern part of the Arabian peninsula, on the north coast of the Gulf of Aden, positioned near the eastern approach to the Red Sea. It is situated approximately 170 km (110 mi) east of the Bab-el-Mandeb strait. With its strategic location on the coastline, Aden serves as a gateway between the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, making it a crucial maritime hub connecting Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. As of September 2025, Aden has a population of approximately 1,154,000 residents, making it one of the largest cities in Yemen.Aden is the capital and principal part of Aden Governorate, encompassing eight districts. During the colonial period, the name Aden referred to the area along the north coast of the gulf, encompassing Tawahi, Mualla, Crater, and much of Khor Maksar district. The western harbour peninsula, known as Little Aden, now falls within the Al Buraiqeh district.

Before gaining independence, Aden comprised distinct sectors: Crater, the original port; Ma'alla, the modern port; Tawahi, formerly "Steamer Point"; and Gold Mohur resorts. Khormaksar, on the isthmus connecting Aden to the mainland, hosts diplomatic missions, Aden University's main offices, and Aden International Airport. On the mainland, sectors include Sheikh Othman, an old oasis area; Al-Mansura, a British-planned town; and Madinat ash-Sha'b (formerly Madinat al-Ittihad), the former capital of the South Arabian Federation, now housing a large power/desalination facility and additional Aden University faculties.

The National Liberation Front (NLF; Arabic: الجبهة القومية للتحرير, romanized: al-jabhat al-qawmiyya lil-taḥrīr), known after the independence of South Yemen as the Unified Nationalist Front Political Organization, or simply as the National Front (NF; Arabic: الجبهة القومية, romanized: al-jabhat al-qawmiyya), was a political party operating in South Yemen and the Federation of South Arabia during the Aden Emergency. During the North Yemen Civil War, fighting spilled over into South Yemen as the British attempted to establish an autonomous colony known as the Federation of South Arabia. Following the exit of the British armed forces, the NLF seized power from its rival, the Arab nationalist Front for the Liberation of Occupied South Yemen (FLOSY). In the aftermath of the Emergency, the NLF renamed itself the National Front and eventually became the main force behind the creation of the Yemeni Socialist Party, which subsequently governed the country as a single-party Marxist–Leninist state.

The Front for the Liberation of Occupied South Yemen (FLOSY; Arabic: جبهة تحرير جنوب اليمن المحتل, romanized: jabhat taḥrīr janūb al-Yaman al-muḥtali) was an Arab nationalist military organization operating in the Federation of South Arabia (a British protectorate; now Southern Yemen) in the 1960s. As the British tried to exit, Abdullah al Asnag created the FLOSY. The FLOSY attempted to seize power when the British left from another military group operating in South Arabia, the National Liberation Front (NLF).