The Sudan Handbook

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problems of political representation and disparity in economic develop-

ment. There was also an attempt to end the civil war in the south with

the calling of a Round-Table Conference, but this served only to deepen

divisions, and conflict intensified. There were also new dissident voices

from other geographically outlying areas, including the Beja Congress in

the east and the Nuba Mountains Federation of the south-west. Hopes of

radical change were finally dashed when the elections were held in 1965

on almost the same basis as the two previous ones – they were boycotted

by the Southern Front, the largest southern party at the time – and

the old parties with their old-established, predominantly rural support,

regained their domination of the political scene.

Liberal Democracy Again, 1965–1969

If anything, parliamentary politics second time round was even more

unstable than it had been in the first period. The elections of 1965, like

those of 1958, delivered no clear majority. Abd al-Rahman al-Mahdi and

his son, Siddiq, had both died and the Umma Party was led, as it has

been until the present day, by the young Sadiq al-Mahdi, who was briefly

prime minister but lacked the experience to steer the party or the govern-

ment through the shoals of Sudanese political life. Meanwhile amongst

the Unionists there was indiscipline and a continuation of the factional

rivalry that has come to characterize the party. It was stirred especially by

the former prime minister, al-Azhari, who had now managed to become

president and used his position to influence developments within the

parliament. With politics rapidly descending into farce, fresh elections

were held in 1968. There was a stronger Southern presence in parliament,

but the outcome was as indecisive as the two previous ones had been.

Political life showed scarcely any improvement either and unstable and

ineffective coalition government was renewed.

Unstable government might not have mattered so much if there had

been improvement in the economy, but here too there was failure. The

instability of the political elite was in part due to rivalry over access

The Sudan Handbook, edited by John Ryle, Justin Willis, Suliman Baldo and Jok Madut Jok. © 2011 Rift Valley Institute and contributors to economic opportunities that were controlled by government. These

(www.riftvalley.net).