The Sudan Handbook

sudan’s fRaGilE statE, 1956–1989 161

break down the regional identities and potential solidarities of the nine

provinces that had been inherited from the days of the Condominium.

Meanwhile John Garang called for a ‘New Sudan’. His vision for the

country was one of empowerment for ‘marginalized’ peoples rather than

separation for the south, as had been demanded by an earlier generation

of southern rebels.

Return to Multi-party Democracy, 1986–1989

The overthrow of Nimeiri in 1985 was not the end of military involve-

ment in government. Senior officers led by Siwar al-Dahab opted not to

confront the popular uprising but to embrace it, creating a Transitional

Military Council (TMC). The TMC’s civilian partners in the National

Alliance for Salvation were drawn mainly from the professional groups

known as the ‘modern forces’, seen by many as representing radical and

secularist aims. However it soon became clear that the TMC was the

dominant force, and that there was little fresh thinking about addressing

the country’s deep seated problems. A meeting of representatives of

the National Alliance with the SPLA at Koka Dam brought hopes of

a settlement and a proposal did emerge, but had moved little further

before elections were called. The hopes of change in the uprising of 1964

had been frustrated, and history was repeating itself in 1985–86. The old

political parties were soon back on the scene and brought with them the

old system of multi-party democracy with its accompanying marginaliza-

tion of the radical leaders of the 1985 uprising.

As in the past, the elections of 1986 produced no clear majority and

resulted in a coalition government under Umma Party leader Sadiq

al-Mahdi. In the south the elections took place in only some areas. There

was an unsuccessful meeting of the new prime minister with the SPLA

leader, after which conflict in the south intensified. The issue of Islamic

law remained unresolved. There were hopes that Nimeiri’s ‘September

laws’, as they had become known, would be repealed but this did not

happen since al-Mahdi was concerned at the impact such a move might

The Sudan Handbook, edited by John Ryle, Justin Willis, Suliman Baldo and Jok Madut Jok. © 2011 Rift Valley Institute and contributors have on the weak coalitions he was forced to maintain. Meanwhile the

(www.riftvalley.net).