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Sudan
Revolutionary Command Council
The coup leaders, joined by Awadallah, the former chief justice
who had been privy to the coup, constituted themselves as the
ten-member Revolutionary Command Council (RCC), which posssessed
collective executive authority under Nimeiri's chairmanship. On
assuming control, the RCC proclaimed the establishment of a "democratic
republic" dedicated to advancing independent "Sudanese socialism."
The RCC's first acts included the suspension of the Transitional
Constitution, the abolition of all government institutions, and
the banning of political parties. The RCC also nationalized many
industries, businesses, and banks. Furthermore, Nimeiri ordered
the arrest of sixty-three civilian politicians and forcibly retired
senior army officers.
Awadallah, appointed prime minister to form a new government
to implement RCC policy directives, wanted to dispel the notion
that the coup had installed a military dictatorship. He presided
over a twenty-one-member cabinet that included only three officers
from the RCC, among them its chairman, Nimeiri, who was also defense
minister. The cabinet's other military members held the portfolios
for internal security and communications. Nine members of the
Awadallah regime were allegedly communists, including one of the
two southerners in the cabinet, John Garang, minister of supply
and later minister for southern affairs. Others identified themselves
as Marxists. Since the RCC lacked political and administrative
experience, the communists played a significant role in shaping
government policies and programs. Despite the influence of individual
SCP members, the RCC claimed that its cooperation with the party
was a matter of convenience.
In November 1969, after he claimed the regime could not survive
without communist assistance, Awadallah lost the prime ministership.
Nimeiri, who became head of a largely civilian government in addition
to being chief of state, succeeded him. Awadallah retained his
position as RCC deputy chairman and remained in the government
as foreign minister and as an important link with leftist elements.
Conservative forces, led by the Ansar, posed the greatest threat
to the RCC. Imam Al Hadi al Mahdi had withdrawn to his Aba Island
stronghold (in the Nile, near Khartoum) in the belief that the
government had decided to strike at the Ansar movement. The imam
had demanded a return to democratic government, the exclusion
of communists from power, and an end to RCC rule. In March 1970,
hostile Ansar crowds prevented Nimeiri from visiting the island
for talks with the imam. Fighting subsequently erupted between
government forces and as many as 30,000 Ansar. When the Ansar
ignored an ultimatum to surrender, army units with air support
assaulted Aba Island. About 3,000 people died during the battle.
The imam escaped only to be killed while attempting to cross the
border into Ethiopia. The government exiled Sadiq al Mahdi to
Egypt, where Nasser promised to keep him under guard to prevent
him from succeeding his uncle as head of the Ansar movement.
After neutralizing this conservative opposition, the RCC concentrated
on consolidating its political organization to phase out communist
participation in the government. This strategy prompted an internal
debate within the SCP. The orthodox wing, led by party secretary
general Abd al Khaliq Mahjub, demanded a popular front government
with communists participating as equal partners. The National
Communist wing, on the other hand, supported cooperation with
the government.
Soon after the army had crushed the Ansar at Aba Island, Nimeiri
moved against the SCP. He ordered the deportation of Abd al Khaliq
Mahjub. Then, when the SCP secretary general returned to Sudan
illegally after several months abroad, Nimeiri placed him under
house arrest. In March 1971, Nimeiri indicated that trade unions,
a traditional communist stronghold, would be placed under government
control. The RCC also banned communistaffiliated student, women's,
and professional organizations. Additionally, Nimeiri announced
the planned formation of a national political movement called
the Sudan Socialist Union (SSU), which would assume control of
all political parties, including the SCP. After this speech, the
government arrested the SCP's central committee and other leading
communists.
The SCP, however, retained a covert organization that was not
damaged in the sweep. Before further action could be taken against
the party, the SCP launched a coup against Nimeiri. The coup occurred
on July 19, 1971, when one of the plotters, Major Hisham al Atta,
surprised Nimeiri and the RCC meeting in the presidential palace
and seized them along with a number of proNimeiri officers. Atta
named a seven-member revolutionary council, in which communists
ranked prominently, to serve as the national government. Three
days after the coup, however, loyal army units stormed the palace,
rescued Nimeiri, and arrested Atta and his confederates. Nimeiri,
who blamed the SCP for the coup, ordered the arrest of hundreds
of communists and dissident military officers. The government
subsequently executed some of these individuals and imprisoned
many others.
Having survived the SCP-inspired coup, Nimeiri reaffirmed his
commitment to establishing a socialist state. A provisional constitution,
published in August 1971, described Sudan as a "socialist democracy"
and provided for a presidential form of government to replace
the RCC. A plebiscite the following month elected Nimeiri to a
six-year term as president.
Data as of June 1991
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