Qaboos Deposes His Father in Oman
Said bin Taimur had governed since 1932 on a principle of debt-free isolation, refusing to spend the oil revenue that began arriving in 1967 and restricting movement, education and medicine to a degree extreme even by the standards of the region. By 1970 a Marxist insurgency in Dhofar, supported from South Yemen, was gaining ground, and Britain — with treaty obligations, officers seconded to the Omani forces and a base on Masirah — concluded the war could not be won under the existing ruler. The palace coup was near-bloodless; Said was flown to London, where he lived until his death. Qaboos declared a general amnesty, invited exiles home, and combined a reformed counter-insurgency campaign — civil development in captured areas, amnesty for defecting rebels, assistance from Britain, Iran and Jordan — with rapid spending on schools, hospitals and roads. Dhofar was pacified by 1976. Oman became a personal monarchy with no political parties and, for decades, no designated heir; Qaboos held the offices of prime minister, foreign minister, defence minister and central bank governor simultaneously.
- Year: 1970 CE
- Category: Political
