The 1955 Yemeni coup attempt was a failed coup d'etat in which soldiers led by Colonel Ahmad Yahya al-Thulaya attempted to overthrow Imam Ahmad bin Yahya, who had ruled the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen since 1948.

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1955 Yemeni coup attempt
Date 31 March - 6 April 1955 Location Taiz, Yemen Result Coup failed
Belligerents
Army dissidents	Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen
Commanders and leaders
Col. Ahmad Yahya al-Thulaya	Ahmad bin Yahya

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In 1948, the Al-Waziri Coup attempted to overthrow the dynasty ruling the kingdom, and succeeded in assassinating then-Imam Yahya Muhammad Hamid ed-Din, Ahmad bin Yahya's father. Around 5,000 people were killed in the coup, which ended with loyalist forces regaining control and Ahmad becoming Imam.

In 1954, Ahmad named his eldest son Muhammad al-Badr as Crown Prince. However, Ahmad's younger brother al-Hassan publicly criticized his choice of al-Badr, leading to confrontations between supporters of the two rivals. Saudi Arabia's King Saud attempted to mediate between the rival factions, pushing for recognition of al-Badr.^[1]

It was in this heated environment that Colonel al-Thulaya decided to launch a coup, with the intent of placing another of the Imam's sons, Abdullah, on the throne.^[1]

In March 1955 Al-Thulaya, who had received military training in Iraq, commanded his troops to surround the Imam's palace at Al Urdi Square in the kingdom's capital, Taiz. He insisted the Imam abdicate in favor of his half-brother Abdullah, the foreign minister.^[2]

Imam Ahmad agreed, but secretly began to buy off the rebellious soldiers, reducing their numbers from 600 to 40 over the course of five days. He then burst out of the palace wielding a scimitar, killing two men before retreating to the palace. Swapping the sword for a submachine gun, he led his guards in an attack against the remaining soldiers. Twenty-three rebels and one palace guard were killed, and both Abdullah and al-Thulaya attempted to flee. The latter tried to escape to Aden, which was under British rule, but was captured by tribal forces loyal to the Imam and was returned to Taiz.^[2][3]

Al-Thulaya was beheaded in Shuhada Square in Taiz, and Abdullah was executed as well.^[3] Other participants in the coup attempt were imprisoned, several of whom later played key roles in the successful 1962 revolution.

In the wake of the coup, Yemen's military schools were shuttered. However, members of the military continued to plot against the Imam's rule, and in 1962 a coup led by Abdullah al-Sallal - who, like al-Thulaya, was an army officer who had trained in Iraq in the 1930s - succeeded in overthrowing the monarchy.^[4]