1994 civil war in Yemen The May – July 1994 civil war in Yemen was waged between the armed forces of the former Northern and Southern Yemeni states and their supporters . The war resulted in the defeat of the southern armed forces and the flight into exile of many Yemeni Socialist Party ( YSP ) leaders and other southern secessionists . Background . The Republic of Yemen ( ROY ) was declared on May 22 , 1990 with Ali Abdullah Saleh becoming President and Ali Salim al - Beidh Vice President . Greater Yemen had been politically united for the first time in centuries . A unification of the two country ' s political and economic systems was to take place over 30 months . In that time , a unified parliament was formed and a unity constitution was agreed upon . Elections were held in April 1993 . Vice President Ali Salim Al - Beidh withdrew to Aden in August 1993 and said he would not return to the government until his grievances were addressed . These included northern violence against his Yemeni Socialist Party , as well as the economic marginalization of the south . Negotiations to end the political deadlock dragged on into 1994 . The government of Prime Minister Haydar Abu Bakr Al - Attas , the former PDRY Prime Minister , became ineffective due to political infighting . An accord between northern and southern leaders was signed in Amman , Jordan on 20 February 1994 , but this could not stop the civil war . During these tensions , both the northern and southern armies – which had never integrated – gathered on their respective frontiers . Events . On April 27 , a major tank battle erupted in Amran , near San ' a . Both sides accused the other of starting it . On May 4 , the southern air force bombed San ' a and other areas in the north ; the northern air force responded by bombing Aden . President Saleh declared a 30 - day state of emergency , and foreign nationals began evacuating the country . Vice President al - Beidh was officially dismissed . South Yemen also fired Scud missiles into San ' a , killing dozens of civilians . Prime Minister Haidar Abu Bakr al - Attas was dismissed on May 10 after appealing for outside forces to help end the war . Southern leaders seceded and declared the Democratic Republic of Yemen ( DRY ) on 21 May 1994 . No international government recognized the DRY . In mid - May , northern forces began a push toward Aden . The key city of Ataq , which allowed access to the country ' s oil fields , was seized on May 24 . The United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 924 calling for an end to the fighting and a cease - fire . A cease - fire was called on June 6 , but lasted only six hours ; concurrent talks to end the fighting in Cairo collapsed as well . The north entered Aden on July 4 . Supporters of Ali Nasir Muhammad greatly assisted military operations against the secessionists and Aden was captured on 7 July 1994 . Most resistance quickly collapsed and top southern military and political leaders fled into exile . Almost all of the actual fighting in the 1994 civil war occurred in the southern part of the country , despite air and missile attacks against cities and major installations in the north . Southerners sought support from neighboring states and received billions of dollars of equipment and financial assistance , mostly from Saudi Arabia , which felt threatened by a united Yemen . The United States repeatedly called for a cease - fire and a return to the negotiating table . Various attempts , including by a UN special envoy and Russia , were unsuccessful to effect a cease - fire . Aftermath . President Saleh now had control over all of Yemen . A general amnesty was declared , except for 16 southern figures ; legal cases against four — Ali Salim al - Beidh , Haydar Abu Bakr Al - Attas , Abdal - Rahman Ali Al - Jifri , and Salih Munassar Al - Siyali — were prepared , for misappropriation of official funds . YSP leaders within Yemen reorganized following the civil war and elected a new politburo in July 1994 . However , much of its influence had been destroyed in the war . President Ali Abdallah Saleh was elected by Parliament on 1 October 1994 to a 5 - year term . However , he remained in office until 2012 . As of 2007 , a group called the South Yemen Movement calling for the secession of the south and the re - establishment of an independent southern state has grown in strength across many parts of south Yemen , leading to an increase in tensions and often violent clashes .