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The Sudanese Revolution of October 1964

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 November 2008

Yusuf Fadl Hasan
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About 70 years ago, the Mahdist or Ansār state, in many ways a traditional Muslim government, crumbled under the fire of the Anglotional Egyptian cannons. On the condominium government that followed fell the task of pacifying the country and introducing western concepts of administration. All Sudanese attempts to defy foreign domination had failed completely by 1924. The British, the stronger of the two partners, had the lion's share in shaping the destiny of the country. Towards the end of World War II, the influential and educated Sudanese, like other Africans and Asians, demanded the right of self-determination. In 1946, in preparation for this, a sample of western democracy was introduced in the form of an Advisory Council. This Council, which was restricted to the northern Sudan, was followed two years later by the Legislative Assembly, which had slightly more powers. Although these democratic innovations were quite alien to the country and were introduced at a relatively late date, they were in keeping with traditional institutions. Until recently, the Sudan consisted of a number of tribal units where no classes or social distinctions existed and the tribal chief was no more than the first among equals; the people were therefore not accustomed to autocratic rule.

Type
Articles
Information
The Journal of Modern African Studies , Volume 5 , Issue 4 , December 1967 , pp. 491 - 509
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1967

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References

Page 491 note 1 The Ansār are followers of the Sudanese Mahdi and his successors.

Page 492 note 1 Kilner, Peter, ‘A Year of Army Rule in the Sudan’, in The World Today (London), xv, 11 11 1959, p. 431.Google Scholar

Page 492 note 2 Holt, P. M., A Modern History of the Sudan (London, 1963), p. 180Google Scholar; Al-Tahqiq fi 'sL-Asbab al-lati adat ila Inqilab 17 Nufambar 1958 (called below al- Tahqiq), or Magisterial Enquiry into the Causes that led to the Coup d'état of 17 November 1958 (Ministry of Justice, Khartoum, 1965), pp. 12, 16–18, and 31.Google Scholar

Page 493 note 1 Ibid. p. 16; Henderson, K. D. D., Sudan Republic (New York, 1965), p. 109.Google Scholar

Page 493 note 2 Al-Tahqiq, pp. 8, 10, 28–9, 37, 39, 53, and 75–6. It should however be noted that both Hasan Bashir Nasr and Muhammad Ahmad 'Irwa agree with ’Abdallah Khalil; ibid. pp. 53 and 56. See also Thawrat Sha'b [A People's Revolt] (Cairo, nd., 1965), p. 14Google Scholar (edited by the Sudanese Communist Party, this includes many valuable documents); and Holt, op. cit. pp. 183–4.

Page 494 note 1 Al Tahqiq, p. 51.

Page 495 note 1 Ibid. pp. 22–30, 37–9, 44–6, 51, 53, and 63.

Page 495 note 2 Ibid.

Page 495 note 3 The full text of Lieutenant-General ’Abbud's broadcast to the nation was published by the Ministry of Information, Khartoum, in a single leaf.

Page 496 note 1 Kilner, op. cit. pp. 430–1; Holt, op. cit. pp. 185–6.

Page 496 note 2 A1-Tahqiq, pp. 18 and 13.

Page 496 note 3 Ibid. pp. 8, 13, and 46; aI-Mahdi, Al-Sadiq, Jihad fi-Sabil al-Dimuqratiyya (Khartoum, n.d. 1965?), pp. 4 and 36Google Scholar (this contains a set of valuable documents and commentary); Kilner, op. cit. p. 434.

Page 497 note 1 Kilner, op. cit. pp. 433–4; Holt, op. cit. pp. 186–8; Henderson, op. cit. pp. 133–4; Thawrat Sha'b, pp. 203–5 and 208–10.

Page 497 note 2 Kilner, Peter, ‘Military Government in the Sudan’, in The World Today, XVIII, 6 06 1962, pp. 260–1.Google Scholar

Page 498 note 1 A1-Sadiq al-Mahdi, op. cit. pp. 13–14; Henderson, op. cit. p. 135.

Page 499 note 1 A1-Sadiq al-Mahdi, op. cit. pp. 11–12.

Page 499 note 2 Thawrat Sha'b, pp. 232–3.

Page 499 note 3 Ibid. p. 240; al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, op. cit. pp. 29–40.

Page 499 note 4 Ibid. pp. 40–54; Thawrat Sha'b, pp. 246–52; Kilner, , ‘Military Government in the Sudan’, p. 264.Google Scholar

Page 499 note 5 Al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, op. cit. p. 70; Thawrat Sha'b, pp. 196 and 349.

Page 500 note 1 A1-Sadiq al-Mahdi, op. cit. pp. 81–7; Thawrat Sha'b, p. 25.

Page 500 note 2 Ibid. p. 258.

Page 501 note 1 Ibid. pp. 17–18 and 23–4.

Page 501 note 2 Ibid. pp. 71, 103–4, 128, 132, 141, and 143.

Page 501 note 3 Ibid. pp. 173–5; and mimeographed copies of these memoranda given to me by some students.

Page 502 note 1 Thawrat Sha'b, p. 187.

Page 503 note 1 Report of the Commission on Co-ordination between Central and Local Government (Khartoum, 2nd edition, n d.), pp. 7 and 14–34Google Scholar; Kilner, , ‘Military Government in the Sudan’, p. 266.Google Scholar

Page 503 note 2 Report of the Constitutional Development Commission 1962 (Khartoum, n.d.), pp. 4–16Google Scholar; Henderson, op. cit. pp. 143–4; Thawrat Sha'b, pp. 394–6.

Page 503 note 3 Central Council Weekly Digest of Proceedings [Arabic text], 2nd Session, vol. I, pp. 111–17Google Scholar; vol. VII, pp. 551–9; vol. XII pp. 1316–92.

Page 504 note 1 ThawratSha'b, pp. 265–86; Kilner, , ‘Military Government in the Sudan’, p. 261.Google Scholar A more detailed study of the Nubian Resettlement at Khashrn al-Qirba, to which I had access, is being prepared by Sayyid Isma'il Hussein' Abdallah of the Sudan Research Unit.

Page 505 note 1 For a detailed study of this question, see Said, Beshir Mohammad, The Sudan: crossroads of Africa (London, 1965)Google Scholar; Henderson, op. cit. pp. 152–202.

Page 505 note 2 Broadcast from Radio Omdurman on 30 August 1964; a copy of this statement is in the Sudan Research Unit Library.

Page 505 note 3 The following account is based primarily on notes written during the eventful few days of the October Revolution by Sayyid Mu'tasim Muhammad Osman of the Ministry of Information, on the Arabic daily newspapers, and on other ephemeral literature, such as government statements and political party leaflets. I verified certain points with people who witnessed the events—to all of whom I am grateful. Material for this paper was collected a few months after the Revolution, and was written by March 1966. However, as space does not permit detailed acknowledgements, I have restricted myself to a few bibliographical notes.

Page 506 note 1 A1-Ayyam (an Arabic daily newspaper), nos. 4414 and 4347, 14 September and 28 October 1964.

Page 506 note 2 Ministry of Interior broadcast, 22 October 1964 (Radio Omdurman Archives); A1-Ra'i al-'Am (an Arabic daily newspaper), no. 6137, 31 October 1964; Al-Thawra (an official Arabic daily newspaper), no. 1158, October 1964; Thawrat Sha'b, pp. 190–2; Shepherd, G. W. Jr, ‘Seven Days that Shook the World’, in Africa Today (New York), XI, 10, 1964, p. 10.Google Scholar

Page 506 note 3 A1-Ayyam, no. 4347, 28 October 1964; Al-Sahafa (an Arabic daily newspaper), special issue on October Revolution, 5 25 1964, pp. 21 and 23Google Scholar; A1-Ra'i al-'Am, no. 6137, 31 October 1964; al-Thawra, no. 1158, 23 October 1964.

Page 507 note 1 A1-Ayyam, no. 4347, 28 October 1964; al-Ra'i al-'Am, no. 6137, 31 October 1964.

Page 507 note 2 Ibid. and al-Ra'i al-'Am, no. 6139, 3 November 1964.

Page 508 note 1 A1-Ayyam, no. 4347, 28 October 1964; al-Thawra, no. 1161, 28 October 1964; al-Ra'i al-'Am, no. 6137, 31 October 1964; Al-Sahafa, no. 748, 27 October 1964; Shepherd, op. cit.

Page 508 note 2 Al-Sahafa, no 749, 28 October 1964; also the special issue of December 1964, p. 15; al-Thawra, no. 1161, 28 October 1964.

Page 509 note 1 Al-Ayyam, no. 4348 and 4350, 29 October and 1 November 1964; al-Ra'i al-'Am, no. 6137, 31 October 1964; Al-Sahafa, no. 4750, 29 October 1964; Shepherd, op. cit.