Communists almost Overthrow President Nimeiri

Towards the end of 1970, President Nimeiri, Col. Gaddafi (the Libyan leader) and the late President Sadat of Egypt arrived at an agreement to federate their three countries. The Sudanese communists said "no" to the would-be federation. It was time to settle the score. From his cabinet, Nimeiri sacked three top communists- Col. al-Nur. Maj: Hamadallah and Maj. Al Ata. He then reminded the country that all political parties had been banned in May 1969, when he came to power, and that the Sudanese Communist Party had ignored the ban.
 
In July 1971, the communists, led by the dismissed ' Maj. al-Ata, staged an almost successful military coup against President Nimeiri. They arrested Nimeiri and killed some of the officers close to him. Two of the three men Nimeiri had sacked - Col. al-Nur and Maj. Hamadallah, who then were in London-left for Sudan to head the new communist regime. Their plane (BOAC) was force-landed in Libya on the orders of Col. Gaddafi (then a great friend of Nimeiri's). The Libyans then mobilized the supporters of Nimeiri in Sudan, and a counter-coup succeeded. The communist regime had lasted some 72 hours.
 
Col. Gaddafi then handed over the two communist leaders to President Nimeiri. The country was massively purged of communists, and the army was "cleansed". Some Communist countries were accused of complicity in the coup. Nimeiri then tacitly relaxed the close relations he had with Communist countries, and greatly strengthened his ties with the West.

National Movements and New States in Africa