Republic of Sudan (1956–1969) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Republic of the Sudan جمهورية السودان (Arabic) Jumhūrīyat as-Sūdān
1956–1969
Flag (1956–1970) Emblem (1956–1970)
Anthem: نحن جند الله، جند الوطن (Arabic) Naḥnu Jund Allah, Jund Al-waṭan (English: "We are the Soldiers of God, the Soldiers of the Nation")
Capital	Khartoum
Common languages	Arabic English Regional languages
Religion	Sunni Islam Christianity Animism
Demonym(s)	Sudanese
Government	Parliamentary republic (1956–1958; 1964–1969) Military dictatorship (1958–1964)
President
• 1956–1958	Sovereignty Council
• 1958–1964	Ibrahim Abboud
• 1964–1965	Sovereignty Council
Prime minister
• 1956	Ismail al-Azhari
• 1956–1958	Abdallah Khalil
• 1958–1964	Ibrahim Abboud
• 1964–1965	Sirr Al-Khatim Al-Khalifa
• 1965–1966	Muhammad Ahmad Mahgoub
• 1966–1967	Sadiq al-Mahdi
• 1967–1969	Muhammad Ahmad Mahgoub
Historical era	Cold War
• Independence	1 January 1956
• Disestablished	25 May 1969
Area
• Total	2,530,397 km2 (976,992 sq mi) (9th)
Currency	Sudanese pound
ISO 3166 code	SD
Preceded by Succeeded by Anglo-Egyptian Sudan Republic of Egypt Democratic Republic of Sudan
Today part of	Sudan South Sudan

The Republic of the Sudan was an independent country from 1956 to 1969. Before this, Sudan was ruled jointly by Egypt and the United Kingdom. This shared rule was called a "condominium."

On January 1, 1956, Sudan officially became independent. Its parliament, led by Ismail al-Azhari, voted for this freedom. In its early years, Sudan had a government with a parliament and a five-member group called the Supreme Commission as its head of state.

However, in 1958, the military took over. Ibrahim Abboud became the new leader. This period of the Republic ended in 1969 when another military takeover, led by Colonel Gaafar Nimeiry, created the Democratic Republic of Sudan.

How Sudan Became Independent

Before 1955, Sudan was moving towards becoming self-governing. However, the government, led by Ismail al-Azhari, paused this progress. He hoped Sudan would unite with Egypt.

Even though Azhari's party, the National Unionist Party (NUP), won elections in 1953, he soon realized that most people wanted full independence. Azhari, who had once supported uniting the "Nile Valley" (Egypt and Sudan), changed his mind. He then supported Sudan becoming a completely separate country. He asked foreign troops to leave and for Egypt and the United Kingdom to hold a public vote on independence.

Early Years of Independence

Sudan's flag raised at the independence ceremony by Prime Minister Isma'il Alazhari and opposition leader Muhammad Ahmad Mahgoub on January 1, 1956.

Sudan gained independence without fighting. However, its political parties did not agree on a permanent constitution. Instead, they used a temporary one. This constitution replaced the governor-general with a five-member Supreme Commission. This group was chosen by the parliament, which had two parts: a Senate and a House of Representatives. The prime minister, chosen by the House of Representatives, held the main power.

Sudan faced challenges after independence. One big issue was who would work in the government. Sudanese people took over many jobs from British officers. This change happened quickly. However, people in southern Sudan were unhappy when northern Sudanese replaced British leaders there. Many southern leaders tried to get more rights for their region in the capital, Khartoum. They wanted their region to have more control over its own affairs. They warned that if they didn't get these rights, the south might rebel.

The new government planned to improve education, the economy, and transportation. To do this, Sudan needed help from other countries. The United States offered support in 1957. This help aimed to reduce Sudan's reliance on growing only cotton and to improve its transport and communication systems.

Political Changes and Challenges

In February 1956, the prime minister formed a new government. But some members of the Khatmiyyah religious group left his party. They formed a new party called the People's Democratic Party (PDP). The Umma and the PDP then worked together in parliament to remove Azhari's government. With support from these parties, Abdallah Khalil became the new prime minister.

Khalil's government faced many problems. These included creating a permanent constitution, bringing peace to the south, growing the economy, and improving relations with Egypt. But the Umma and PDP parties often disagreed. For example, the Umma Party wanted a president to lead the country, hoping their leader would be chosen.

The economy also struggled. After a very good cotton harvest in 1957, Sudan could not sell all its cotton at a good price. This caused money problems and led to public unhappiness. To fix this, the Umma Party wanted more foreign aid. But the PDP disagreed, fearing too much foreign influence. Despite these differences, the two parties stayed together until the 1958 elections.

In the 1958 elections, the Umma-PDP group won the most seats. However, the NUP also won many seats, especially in cities. In the south, voters chose leaders who wanted more local control. They were unhappy about the government taking over mission schools and how it handled a rebellion in 1955.

After the elections, Khalil again formed a government with the Umma and PDP. But there were many disagreements and problems in parliament. This made it hard for the government to make important decisions about the constitution and the south.

Another issue was Sudan's relationship with the United States. In March 1958, Khalil signed an agreement for technical help with the US. But many in parliament, especially from the NUP and PDP, opposed it. Still, the agreement was approved with support from the Umma and some southern leaders.

People became very unhappy with the democratic government. They saw too many disagreements and not enough solutions. The government's decision to sell cotton at high prices meant less cotton was sold, hurting Sudan's main source of income. Restrictions on imports also upset city dwellers. Egypt also criticized Khalil's government.

Military Rule Under Abboud (1958–1964)

On November 17, 1958, the military took over the government. Prime Minister Khalil, who was a retired general, helped plan this. Ibrahim Abboud and Ahmad Abd al Wahab became the leaders of the new military government.

Abboud promised to solve problems with Egypt, including issues about the Nile River. He also changed the cotton sales policy to be more realistic. Abboud said that political parties only caused problems and would not be allowed when civilian rule returned.

Abboud created the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to rule Sudan. This council included officers from different religious groups. The military government had some early success, especially with selling cotton and settling the Nile water dispute with Egypt. The influence of religious leaders also decreased.

However, there was still opposition. In 1959, other military officers tried three times to remove Abboud. These attempts failed, but unhappiness continued in the military. The Sudanese Communist Party (SCP) became known for opposing the government.

Abboud's government also struggled because it lacked new ideas and good civilian advisors. It failed to create strong economic and social plans.

Southern Sudan and the Rebellion

Abboud's policies in southern Sudan caused big problems. The government tried to make everyone follow Arab customs and religion. In 1964, Abboud ordered foreign missionaries to leave the south. He also closed parliament, stopping southern complaints from being heard.

In 1963, southern leaders restarted an armed fight against the government. This fight had been happening on and off since 1955. The new rebellion was led by a group called the Anyanya.

Return to Civilian Rule (1964–1969)

The October 1964 Revolution

The Abboud government realized it could not stop the growing unrest in the south. It asked civilians for ideas to solve the problem. But people's complaints quickly grew to include the economy and education. When the government tried to stop these protests, which started at the University of Khartoum, teachers, students, and workers joined in.

The protests began on October 20, 1964. Police attacked a meeting at the University of Khartoum, killing three people. Protests spread across Sudan the next day. Artists like Mohammed Wardi encouraged the protestors. People were tired of military rule.

A general strike quickly spread across Sudan. The strike leaders formed a group called the National Front for Professionals. They joined with former politicians to create the United National Front (UNF). This group contacted military officers who also opposed Abboud. After several days of protests and deaths, Abboud dissolved his government. The UNF and army leaders chose a non-political civil servant, Sirr Al-Khatim Al-Khalifa, to lead a temporary government.

After the Revolution

The new civilian government used the 1956 temporary constitution. It tried to bring different political groups together. However, people were still unhappy with political parties because they had caused problems before. The new government allowed all parties, including the SCP, to operate.

Two political parties emerged to represent southern Sudan. The SANU, formed in 1963, worked with refugees and fighters. The Southern Front worked openly within the southern provinces. These groups worked to gain more local control for the south.

When national elections were planned for March 1965, the new parliament was supposed to write a new constitution. But fighting in the south prevented elections there. Political parties disagreed about whether to hold elections only in the north or wait for the whole country. This disagreement caused the government to resign. Elections were held where possible, but some parties boycotted them.

The 1965 election results were unclear. The Umma Party won the most seats, and its ally, the NUP, won many others. These two parties formed a government in June, led by Muhammad Ahmad Mahjub. Azhari, the NUP leader, became the head of state.

Mahjub's government had two main goals: solve the southern problem and remove communists from power. The army launched a major attack in the south, which led to reports of cruelty against civilians. Mahjub also succeeded in banning the SCP and removing its members from parliament.

By October 1965, the Umma-NUP government broke apart due to disagreements over who should handle foreign relations. Mahjub resigned in July 1966 after a vote against him. The Umma Party itself split into two groups. One group, led by the younger Sadiq al-Mahdi, became prime minister with support from his Umma group and NUP allies.

Sadiq al-Mahdi's government aimed to reduce differences between regions by improving the economy. He also hoped to make peace with the southern rebels. He suggested replacing the Supreme Commission with a president and a southern vice president, and allowing more local control for the southern provinces.

However, many educated people and parts of the army opposed Sadiq al-Mahdi. They felt he was too slow in solving Sudan's problems. Leftist student groups and trade unions wanted a socialist country. Their anger grew when Sadiq refused to follow a court ruling that allowed the SCP to operate again. In December 1966, a small military takeover attempt by communists failed.

In March 1967, elections were held in some peaceful areas of the south. Sadiq al-Mahdi's party won some seats, but his position in parliament became weak. He had promised concessions to the south to end the civil war, but these were not agreed upon. His own party members opposed him because he refused to declare Sudan an Islamic state. When his allies withdrew support, his government fell.

In May 1967, Mahjub again became prime minister, leading a new government. In December 1967, two parties, the PDP and NUP, joined to form the DUP. By early 1968, divisions within the Umma Party threatened Mahjub's government. Sadiq al-Mahdi's group had enough power to block government actions. When Mahjub dissolved parliament, Sadiq refused to accept it. For a short time, two groups claimed to be the government. The Supreme Court supported Mahjub's decision to dissolve parliament, and new elections were set for April.

In the new elections, no single party won a majority. The DUP won the most seats, but still needed allies. They formed a government with the Umma traditionalists, with Muhammad Ahmad Mahjub as prime minister. This government planned to reorganize the government, improve ties with the Arab world, and develop the economy, especially in the south. They also accepted military and economic help from the Soviet Union.

By late 1968, the two Umma groups agreed to support Imam al-Hadi al-Mahdi for president in the 1969 election. The DUP announced that Azhari would also run. Communists and other leftists supported former Chief Justice Babiker Awadallah for president.

See also

• History of Sudan

Sources

• "Country Studies".. Federal Research Division. 

• Mohamed Hassan Fadlalla, Short History of Sudan, iUniverse, 30 April 2004, ISBN: 0-595-31425-2.
• Mohamed Hassan Fadlalla, The Problem of Dar Fur, iUniverse, Inc. (July 21, 2005), ISBN: 978-0-595-36502-9.