Unity Day (Yemen)

Unity Day is a public holiday in Yemen, and it is observed on May 22 each year. The holiday commemorates the Unification of North Yemen and South Yemen in 1990.

Yemen is a country in Western Asia, and people inhabited the area for thousands of years. Several dynasties emerged before the area was divided between the Ottoman Empire and the British Empire in the 1800s.

Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in World War I, Yemen Arab Republic (or North Yemen) was established in 1918, while South Yemen remained a British protectorate under the name of Aden Protectorate. In November 1967, the British forces left Aden because of the repeated guerrilla attacks by the NLF (National Liberation Front) and FLOSY (Front for the Liberation of Occupied South Yemen). Following the departure of the British forces, the Federation of South Arabia and the Protectorate of South Arabia merged together and formed the People's Republic of Southern Yemen.

The relationship between North Yemen and South Yemen was relatively friendly, however, the unification was put on hold because of the Yemenite War in 1972 and 1979. In the late 1980s, the tension between the two countries reduced and they agreed to start the unification discussions again. On May 22, 1990, the official Yemeni unification took place with a plan to complete in November 1992.

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

Please check more public holidays in Yemen: