The Background 3. The background and present agricultural situation on the plain have been set out by the Director for Dhofar Development in the following terms. 4. The former Sultan regarded Dhofar Province as being very much his private property. Nothing new was allowed here, nothing which might in any way disturb the traditional life of the people. The whole of Oman became a land secluded from the outside world, and Dhofar was even more cut off than the rest of the Sultanate. Agriculture and much else stultified. The area under cultivation contracted and people literally in their thousands - in parts of Oman up to 85% of the working adult male population - left the country to seek work abroad. The supply of labour dwindled and labour costs soared lead ing to a further reduction in agricultural activity. In Dhofar the situation was aggravated further from 1964 by the outbreak of a tribal rebellion. The rebellion, which originally had Saudi and Iraqi backing, spread and as the Sultan, refusing to countenance any negotiation whatsoever, tried to starve his revolting subjects into submission, so the rebels gained more support and their leadership became more extreme. By 1970 with the Chinese established in what had been the Eastern Aden Protectorate, the rebels were in control of the whole of the Jebel area and parts of the coastline to the east and west of Salalah. In July 1970, however, the rebels lost their most formidable weapon, the old Sultan himself, The Present Position 5. With a new Sultan and he half a Dhofari, a new and much more liberal regime, the situation changed. The rebels found themselves on the defensive and with every sign that the great majority of the population, estimated at some 15,000, wished to come to terms with the new Government, they were forced to adopt stringent measures to retain what they had won. They adopted some of the old Sultan's methods and in addition embarked upon a campaign of terror. Communi cations with the plain were cut and people, whole families indeed, suspected of pro-government tendencies were eliminated and their cattle seized. By taking these steps the rebels alienated support. People who were able to escape from the mountain, or who had little to lose boy so doing, began changing sides and seeking to make their peace with the Government. To date more than fifty former rebels have submitted. Many others would certainly do so if by fleeing the mountain they did not have to sacrifice their cattle.
