Al-Wadiah War

al-Wadiah War
Part of Arab Cold War
Date 27 November - 6 December 1969 Location al-Wadiah, near Sharurah Result Saudi victory al-Wadiah reoccupied by Saudi forces
Belligerents
South Yemen	Saudi Arabia
Commanders and leaders
Salim Rubai Ali Muhammad Ali Haitham	Faisal of Saudi Arabia Sultan bin Abdulaziz
Units involved
30th Infantry Brigade
Casualties and losses
35 dead (Saudi claim)

Saudi victory

The al-Wadiah War was a military conflict which broke out on 27 November 1969 between Saudi Arabia and the People's Republic of South Yemen after PRSY forces seized the town of al-Wadiah on the PRSY-Saudi Arabian border. The conflict ended on 6 December when Saudi forces retook al-Wadiah.

The town was placed along the contentious border of South Yemen and Saudi Arabia, and had some fifteen years prior, in 1954/5, been the site of a border dispute between the Saudis and the British.

Al-Wadiah had previously been part of the Qu'aiti Sultanate, itself part of the Protectorate of South Arabia, which had been incorporated into the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen following the withdrawal of British forces from the region. The PRSY therefore considered the town as part of its territory. The Saudi government however saw al-Wadiah as part of their own territory, as well as a frontier in confrontations with the PRSY. There were also rumors of oil and water deposits around the town, thereby aggravating the dispute.

Simultaneously PRSY-Saudi relations had been incredibly tense, with Faisal of Saudi Arabia regarding the left-wing government with extreme hostility, which was in turn reciprocated by the PRSY, which supported the overthrow of the Gulf monarchies. The Saudi government went so far as to fund and arm South Yemeni dissidents, and encouraged them to conduct raids across the border into South Yemen. The PRSY accused the Saudi government of planning further attacks in November 1969.

In November 1969, the Saudis built a road to al-Wadiah and garrisoned soldiers there, incorporating it into the Kingdom. The PRSY government claimed that the Saudis had occupied al-Wadiah in order to secure potential oil reserves in the area. The Saudi government in turn accused the PDRY of seizing al-Wadiah.

On 27 November 1969, PRSY regular army units advanced on, and took, the town of al-Wadiah. Saudi forces deployed in the region were limited to some tribal militias, backed by some aircraft and artillery. A small section of the PRSY force began advancing on Sharurah, but was halted.

Having been informed of the PRSY advance, King Faisal ordered Sultan bin Abdulaziz, the Minister of Defense and Aviation, to expel PRSY forces. Sultan commissioned all units in the southern region for the task of attempting to reoccupy al-Wadiah within two days.

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Wikipedia