Abdul Fattah Ismail
Encyclopedia
Abd al-Fattah Ismail Ali Al-Jawfi (1939– 13 January 1986) was the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Council, head of state of the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen
, and founder, chief ideologue, and first leader of the Yemeni Socialist Party
from 21 December 1978 to 21 April 1980.
Born in July 1939 in the Hugariah district (Taiz) of North Yemen, he was educated in Aden, where he subsequently worked in an oil refinery from 1957 to 1961 as an apprentice. As a co-founder of the Arab Nationalist Movement
in South Yemen, he contributed to the formation of a number of Movement cells before he was arrested by the British authorities in Aden for political incitement of workers.
In 1961 he became a school teacher in one of the Aden districts, and at the same time continuing political activity. He was a co-founder of the National Front for the Liberation of South Yemen (NLF). After the NLF started the 14 October 1963 Revolution for the liberation of South Yemen from British colonial rule, Ismail became a full time revolutionary, whereby he undertook the leadership of the NLF underground military wing (fedayeen) in Aden, as well as political activity.
He was elected to the NLF executive in the first, second and third NLF congresses, 1965-67. After South Yemen gained independence in 1967 he was appointed Minister of Culture and Yemeni Unity. In the fourth NLF congress he was instrumental in determining the progressive line of the revolution. But in March 1968 he was arrested by the right wing of the NLF and went into exile, where he drafted the program for Accomplishing National Democratic Liberation, a leftist manifesto. He undertook a leading role in the consolidation of left wing of NLF which subsequently regained power in the 22 June 1969 "Correction Step."
Subsequent to the "Correction Step" Ismail was elected Secretary General of the NLF Central Committee, and a member of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Council. In 1970 he was elected Chairman of Presidium.
He undertook a leading role in the dialogue between NLF and other left parties in south Yemen leading to the formation of the Yemen Socialist Party (YSP). He was elected Secretary General of the YSP in the first party congress in October 1978.
In 1980 he resigned from all his posts for health reasons and was succeeded by Ali Nasser Muhammad. However, Ismail was appointed president of the party before he went to Moscow
for medical treatment, until 1985, when he returned in the face of a mounting crisis between Ali Nasser Muhammad and his opponents in the YSP.
In October 1985 he was elected to the YSP Politburo and as a Secretary of the Central Committee, but the crisis had erupted on January 13, 1986, into a violent struggle in Aden between Ali Nasir's supporters and opponents. Fighting lasted for more than a month and resulted in thousands of casualties, Ali Nasir's ouster, and Ismail's mysterious disappearance. Some 60,000 people, including the deposed Ali Nasir, fled to north Yemen.
People's Democratic Republic of Yemen
The People's Democratic Republic of Yemen — also referred to as South Yemen, Democratic Yemen or Yemen — was a socialist republic in the present-day southern and eastern Provinces of Yemen...
, and founder, chief ideologue, and first leader of the Yemeni Socialist Party
Yemeni Socialist Party
The Yemeni Socialist Party is a political party in Yemen.It was the ruling party in South Yemen, the only Marxist Arab state, before unification in 1990...
from 21 December 1978 to 21 April 1980.
Born in July 1939 in the Hugariah district (Taiz) of North Yemen, he was educated in Aden, where he subsequently worked in an oil refinery from 1957 to 1961 as an apprentice. As a co-founder of the Arab Nationalist Movement
Arab Nationalist Movement
The Arab Nationalist Movement , also known as the Movement of Arab Nationalists and the Harakiyyin, was a pan-Arab nationalist organization influential in much of the Arab world, most famously so within the Palestinian movement.-Origins & Ideology:The Arab Nationalist Movement had its origins in a...
in South Yemen, he contributed to the formation of a number of Movement cells before he was arrested by the British authorities in Aden for political incitement of workers.
In 1961 he became a school teacher in one of the Aden districts, and at the same time continuing political activity. He was a co-founder of the National Front for the Liberation of South Yemen (NLF). After the NLF started the 14 October 1963 Revolution for the liberation of South Yemen from British colonial rule, Ismail became a full time revolutionary, whereby he undertook the leadership of the NLF underground military wing (fedayeen) in Aden, as well as political activity.
He was elected to the NLF executive in the first, second and third NLF congresses, 1965-67. After South Yemen gained independence in 1967 he was appointed Minister of Culture and Yemeni Unity. In the fourth NLF congress he was instrumental in determining the progressive line of the revolution. But in March 1968 he was arrested by the right wing of the NLF and went into exile, where he drafted the program for Accomplishing National Democratic Liberation, a leftist manifesto. He undertook a leading role in the consolidation of left wing of NLF which subsequently regained power in the 22 June 1969 "Correction Step."
Subsequent to the "Correction Step" Ismail was elected Secretary General of the NLF Central Committee, and a member of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Council. In 1970 he was elected Chairman of Presidium.
He undertook a leading role in the dialogue between NLF and other left parties in south Yemen leading to the formation of the Yemen Socialist Party (YSP). He was elected Secretary General of the YSP in the first party congress in October 1978.
In 1980 he resigned from all his posts for health reasons and was succeeded by Ali Nasser Muhammad. However, Ismail was appointed president of the party before he went to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
for medical treatment, until 1985, when he returned in the face of a mounting crisis between Ali Nasser Muhammad and his opponents in the YSP.
In October 1985 he was elected to the YSP Politburo and as a Secretary of the Central Committee, but the crisis had erupted on January 13, 1986, into a violent struggle in Aden between Ali Nasir's supporters and opponents. Fighting lasted for more than a month and resulted in thousands of casualties, Ali Nasir's ouster, and Ismail's mysterious disappearance. Some 60,000 people, including the deposed Ali Nasir, fled to north Yemen.
In English
- Russian political detective series (2006) after A.Konstantinov's novel "The Journalist" (1996) with its fictionalized version of the eventsRussian Translation (TV political detective)Russian TranslationРУССКИЙ ПЕРЕВОД ترجمة روسية -Subject:The film story begins in the second half of 1984 - the final months of K...