Oman–Yemen border
A desert border between Oman’s Dhofar and Yemen’s remote al-Mahra province, settled by agreement in 1992 and marked in 1995. Al-Mahra largely escaped the worst of Yemen’s war, but in 2017 Saudi forces moved in, saying it was a route for smuggling weapons from Oman to the Houthis, and clashed with local tribes.
Written from cited sourcesLast checked 29 September 2026Suggest a correction
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A peaceful demarcation
Oman and Yemen signed a border agreement in Sanaa in October 1992 that called for mapping their common frontier, about 185 miles long, for the first time. They opened their first crossing in 1993, and in June 1995 the governors of Oman’s Dhofar and Yemen’s al-Mahra celebrated the finished demarcation at a desert ceremony at Habrut.[1]
“nations can cooperate on border problems”[1]
Al-Mahra
Al-Mahra, Yemen’s second-largest province by area, largely escaped the worst of the war that began in 2015. In 2017 Saudi Arabia deployed forces there, saying the province was a major route for smuggling weapons from Oman to the Houthis; it took over the airport and main seaport and set up more than a dozen bases, leading to tension with tribesmen. In February 2020 a tribal source said Saudi forces had tried to storm the town of Shahn near the Omani border; a local committee condemned what it called Saudi occupation, and the coalition did not comment.[2]
Timeline
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Sources
- [1]Oman, Yemen celebrate formal border · UPI · 3 June 1995
- [2]Tribal forces in eastern Yemen clash with Saudis · Al Jazeera · 18 February 2020
Map geometry from Natural Earth via world-atlas. See credits.