1954-1955 Dhabyani coup attempt
| 1954-1955 Dhabyani coup | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Buraimi dispute | |||||||
Emirate of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
|
Abu Dhabi United Kingdom |
Junior Al Nahyan Saudi Arabia | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Shakhbut Al Nahyan Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan |
Zayed bin Saqr Al Nahyan Diab Al Nahyan | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
|
Shakhbut loyalists Trucial Oman Scouts |
Bribed tribes Saudi Expedition | ||||||
From 1954 to 1955 two princes of the house of Al Nahyan; Zayed and Diab, received Saudi backing to stage a coup to retake the throne of Abu Dhabi which their father, Saqr, lost in a coup in 1928. This came amidst significant tension between Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom over the future of the Trucial States, with the Saudi government hoping a friendly Abu Dhabi would cede the Buraimi Oasis, which they were attempting to take over. However, an international tribunal would find in favor of Abu Dhabi in the territorial dispute, with one of the terms of the ruling being the Saudi cessation of support for the plot.