Liberation Day (Yemen)

Liberation Day is a public holiday in Yemen, and it is observed on October 14 each year. The holiday commemorates the start of the armed resistance against the British troops in South Yemen on October 14, 1963.

Yemen is a country in Western Asia, and it was divided between the Ottoman Empire and the British Empire in the 1800s. Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in World War I, North Yemen was established in 1918, while South Yemen remained a British protectorate with the name of Aden Protectorate.

In 1960s, two anti-British guerrilla groups National Liberation Front (NLF) and the Front for the Liberation of Occupied South Yemen (FLOSY) were formed. Inspired by the pan-Arab nationalism, the NLF and FLOSY started the armed resistance by throwing a grenade at a gathering of British officials at Aden Airport on October 14, 1963, which was known as the Aden Emergency.

The Aden Emergency lasted 4 years till the British forces left Aden in 1967 because of the repeated guerrilla attacks. Following the British departure, the Federation of South Arabia and the Protectorate of South Arabia merged together and formed People\’s Republic of Southern Yemen on November 30, 1967.

The following is the list of Liberation Day in Yemen from 2022 to 2026.