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35-460: At first the Beja Congress was frustrated in seeking political power: it was banned in 1960, along with all other political parties, by the military junta of General Ibrahim Abboud . Once the ban was lifted in 1964, the party was able to mobilize the educated sector of the eastern Sudan and successfully participated in the 1965 parliamentary elections , with several of its activists winning seats in

70-649: A civilian provisional government, and he retreated into retirement, thus ending the Republic of the Sudan's first period of military rule. Abboud lived in Britain for several years and died in Khartoum on 8 September 1983, at the age of 82. Eastern Front (Sudan) The Eastern Front ( Arabic : الجبهة الشرقية , romanized :  al-Jabhah al-Sharqīyah ) was a coalition of rebel groups operating in eastern Sudan along

105-712: A comprehensive peace agreement between the Sudanese government and the Eastern Front, which culminated in signing of the Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement on 14 October 2006, in Asmara. The agreement covers security issues, power sharing at a federal and regional level, and wealth sharing in regard to the three Eastern states Kassala , Red Sea and Al Qadarif . It also established an Eastern Sudan States Coordinating Council to enhance coordination and cooperation between

140-669: A greater say in the composition of the national government, which has been seen as a destabilizing influence on the agreement ending the conflict in Southern Sudan . The Eastern Front was strengthened after 17 Beja rioters were killed by police in Port Sudan in late January 2005 and angry young Beja men began to join rebel camps in Eritrea . The Eritrean government in Asmara supported the Eastern Front apparently in retaliation for Sudanese support to

175-509: A number of modest military victories. With the help of the SPM/A, twice captured Hamishkoreb , before finally holding it from October 2002 until April 2006 when the SPM/A withdrew from the NDA. By itself the Beja Congress held territory around Tokar , one of their historic strongholds, and the town of Khor Telkok near Kassala , which the NDA had declared to be their "capital". Politically the Beja Congress

210-814: The Sudan Defence Force in 1925, after its creation separate from the Egyptian army . During World War II he served in Eritrea , in Ethiopia , with the Sudan Defence Force, and with the British Army in North Africa . After the war, Abboud commanded the Camel Corps , and then rose rapidly to commander of the Sudan Defence Force in 1949 and assistant commander in chief in 1954. With the declaration of independence for

245-511: The constituent assembly . Though it was banned once again during the years of the military government of Gaafar Nimeiry (1969–1985), after the popular uprising of 1985 removed Nimeiry, the Beja Congress participated in the national elections of 1986 . The Congress won only one seat in that election, losing to a resurgent Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which subsequently participated in the Sadiq al-Mahdi -led coalition government of 1986–1989. With

280-461: The "southern problem." Abboud was personally popular or, at least, respected. He was even invited to the White House in 1961, where President John F. Kennedy praised Sudan for having set a good example for living in peace with its neighbours. In non- Arab , non- Muslim southern Sudan, however, the arbitrary rule of the military government produced a more negative reaction than in the north. Thus,

315-418: The 1990s. The Eastern Front had threatened to block the flow of crude oil , which travels from the oil fields of the south-central regions to outside markets through Port Sudan. A government plan to build a second oil refinery near Port Sudan was also threatened. The government was reported to have three times as many soldiers in the east to suppress the rebellion and protect vital infrastructure as in

350-619: The Congress made a series of attacks along the Sudanese–Eritrean border, concentrating on strategic assets, such as the Khartoum- Port Sudan road, the oil pipeline, and the military installations defending them. Despite their successes, Young notes, these attacks "did not close the road for more than a few hours or stop the flow of oil for more than a few days." Although the Beja Congress have a significant fighting presence, they achieved

385-519: The Eritrean Islamist factions. Meanwhile, the JEM has formed an alliance with the Eastern Front and moved troops into the region apparently in an attempt to position itself as a national movement, rather than one limited to its Darfur homeland. The Eastern Front also demand the liberation of Hala'ib Triangle from Egyptian occupation and its restitution to Sudanese sovereignty, as was the case prior to

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420-629: The NDA entered the Sudan National Assembly shortly afterwards, the NDA was obviously moribund. When the withdrawal of the SPM/A from the NDA in 2004 led to the collapse of the alliance, the Beja Congress joined with the Rashaida Free Lions and other smaller groups to form the Eastern Front rebel group. However, weak leadership, an inability to reach out to other ethnic groups in eastern Sudan, and dependence on Eritrean support led to

455-768: The NDA. These tensions came to a head after the Egyptian security services organized negotiations between the NCP and the NDA in Cairo in 2004. Both the Beja Congress and the Free Lions walked out of the negotiations, claiming that their interests were not being fairly represented. Two months later the NDA held its annual conference in Asmara amid considerable acrimony. When the DUP, the Sudanese Communist Party , and Legitimate Command components of

490-586: The Sudan in 1956, he was made commander in chief of the Sudanese military forces. After the Sudanese army staged a coup d'état in November 1958, overthrowing the civilian government of Abdallah Khalil , Gen. Abboud led the new military government. Philip Agee alleged that CIA engineered the 1958 coup in In the Company. Between 1956 and 1958, Sudanese nationalist leaders from both major parties sought to find solutions to

525-670: The border with Eritrea , particularly the states of Red Sea and Kassala . The Eastern Front's Chairman is Musa Mohamed Ahmed . While the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) was the primary member of the Eastern Front, the SPLA was obliged to leave by the January 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended the Second Sudanese Civil War . Their place was taken in February 2004 after

560-460: The civil service and the transport workers were on strike. Demonstrations followed in the provinces. Rather than suppress the opposition by armed force and bloodshed, Abboud dissolved his government on 26 October 1964, and allowed the formation of a provisional cabinet under Sirr Al-Khatim Al-Khalifa to replace the Supreme Council. Abboud himself was forced to resign on 15 November in favor of

595-408: The country's problems. Parliamentary government was so discredited that Gen. Abboud, who formerly had remained studiously aloof from politics, led a coup d'état on 17 November 1958, to end, in his words, "the state of degeneration, chaos, and instability of the country." The Council of State and cabinet were dismissed, parliament and all political parties were declared dissolved, and the constitution

630-497: The countryside. Abboud's forces were responsible for large numbers of deaths in Kodok , Yei and Maridi , and overall his government was responsible for the deaths of more Sudanese people than any other head of state until Omar al-Bashir . Finally, in August 1964, in a desperate attempt to find a solution to the enervating campaign in the south, Abboud established a 25-man commission to study

665-574: The crop of 1958 and the bumper crop of 1959 was sold, easing the financial crisis. An agreement was reached with Egypt concerning the division of the Nile waters, and although Sudan did not receive as great an allotment as many Sudanese thought equitable, Egypt recognized the independence of Sudan, and frontier conflicts ceased. Finally, in 1961, an ambitious 10-year development plan was launched, designed to end Sudan's dependence on cotton exports and many foreign manufactured imports. Although Abboud dealt with

700-865: The deputy Commander in Chief of the Sudanese military. Upon independence, Abboud became the Commander in Chief of the Military of Sudan . Ibrahim Abboud was born 26 October 1900 in Mohammed-Gol, near the old port city of Suakin on the Red Sea . He trained as an engineer at the Gordon Memorial College and at the Military College in Khartoum . He received a commission in the Egyptian Army in 1918 and transferred to

735-455: The failure of the Eastern Front. The Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement of 14 October 2006 called for the absorption of the Eastern Front armed forces into the Sudanese military in exchange for political positions in the national government, the national assembly, and in three eastern states for the Eastern Front leadership. In making this Agreement, many members of the Eastern Front negotiating team in Asmara are reported to have not been enthusiastic at

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770-649: The final language, and only signed the document because they felt that they had few viable alternatives. Ibrahim Abboud Ibrahim Abboud ( Arabic : إبراهيم عبود ; 26 October 1900 – 8 September 1983) was a Sudanese military officer and political figure who served as the head of state of Sudan between 1958 and 1964 and as President of Sudan in 1964; however, he soon resigned, ending Sudan's first period of military rule. A career soldier , Abboud served in World War II in Egypt and Iraq . In 1949, Abboud became

805-399: The government's vigorous program of Arabization and Islamization in the south provoked strikes in the schools and open revolt in the countryside. Opposition to the government was met by force, and many southerners fled as refugees into neighbouring countries. By 1963 the conflict had escalated to a civil war in which the northern troops held the towns while the southern guerrillas roamed

840-417: The important economic problems and improved foreign relations, he made little attempt to capitalize on his successes to forge a political following outside the army. His political independence certainly enabled him to act decisively, but his actions frequently alienated large segments of the population, which his government ultimately needed to remain in power without resort to force. He sought to meet demands of

875-467: The merger of the larger Beja Congress with the smaller Rashaida Free Lions , two tribal based groups of the Beja and Rashaida people , respectively. The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), a rebel group from Darfur in the west, then joined. Both the Free Lions and the Beja Congress stated that government inequity in the distribution of oil profits was the cause of their rebellion. They demanded to have

910-795: The military takeover of the National Islamic Front government in 1989, the Beja Congress was once again banned. In 1993 the group joined the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) based in Asmara , which had been founded by the DUP and the Umma Party in 1989. In the 1995 the Beja Congress signed the Asmara Declaration . Aided by the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SPM/A) and the Eritrean military , armed fighters of

945-555: The more widely reported Darfur region. There were also rumors that the government is considering unleashing militias, similar to the Janjaweed of the Darfur conflict , against the Rashaida and Beja. The Eritrean government in mid-2006 dramatically changed their position on the conflict. From being the main supporter of the Eastern Front they decided that bringing the Sudanese government around

980-442: The negotiating table for a possible agreement with the rebels would be in their best interests. The International Crisis Group suggests this is because they want to avoid any conflict on their Sudanese border in case of war with Ethiopia . They were successful in their attempts and on 19 June 2006, the two sides signed an agreement on declaration of principles. This was the start of four months of Eritrean-mediated negotiations for

1015-533: The population for increased participation in government by instituting a system of local representative government and the "erection of a central council ... in a pyramid with the local councils as a base." The creation of such councils clearly shifted power to the rural areas, whose conservatism would counter complaints from the more liberal urban critics who were becoming increasingly frustrated by increasingly arbitrary administration. In spite of its weaknesses, Abboud's government might have lasted longer if not for

1050-454: The problem and make recommendations for its solution. When the commission, in turn, asked for public debate on the "southern question," the students of Khartoum University initiated a series of debates that soon turned into a forum for open criticism of all aspects of the administration. The government banned these debates, precipitating student demonstrations in which one student was killed. The situation rapidly deteriorated, and within two days

1085-401: The result of disagreements among the senior military leaders. But within a year many younger officers , and even cadets , rose to challenge Abboud's position. All of them were quickly suppressed. Abboud moved swiftly to deal with the Sudan's problems. The provisional constitution was suspended and all political parties dissolved. The price of Sudanese cotton was lowered, and the surplus from

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1120-525: The seemingly intractable problems of building a nation, developing the economy and creating a permanent constitution. Neither Ismail al-Azhari , leader of the Nationalist Unionist Party and the first Prime Minister of Sudan , nor his rival, Abdallah Khalil, the Umma party leader and successor to al-Azhari as prime minister, was able to overcome the weaknesses of the political system or to grapple with

1155-463: The student administrations at two of the three main universities in the east are controlled by the Beja Congress and the party is making inroads into even secondary and primary schools. Young observes, "Beja resentment and support for the BC is clear to anyone spending just a short time in the coffee shops of Port Sudan." Despite this, both the Beja Congress and the Rashaida Free Lions felt marginalized within

1190-506: Was far more effective, capitalizing on two different incidents in January 2005 where Sudanese security attacked and killed unarmed civilians. Shortly after these events the Beja Congress organized a national conference in which Musa Mohamed Ahmed , was elected chairman of the group. Further, the party has enjoyed some success in uniting its fractious and isolated people: internal clashes are reported to be down in numbers. The Congress has been particularly successful at mobilizing its young people:

1225-402: Was suspended. At first Abboud and his ruling Supreme Council of Twelve had the tacit support of the Sudanese politicians and people. The country was tired of the intrigues of the politicians and was prepared to permit the military to inaugurate an efficient and incorruptible administration. There was opposition only within the military in the first few months of the military government. This was

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