Nimeiri Veers West; Civil War Ends
Two
months after that attempted coup, Nimeiri called for a plebiscite that
formally confirmed him as President with an overwhelming "yes" vote. He
then dissolved the Revolutionary Command Council, appointed a new
cabinet, and had his party (the SSU) proclaimed the sole political
party for the entire country.
President Nimeiri then diverted his attention to the civil war in the
south. Almost right from the start of the civil war, Israel had
massively helped the Anyanya rebels by supplying them with arms,
medical supplies and vehicles. Israel -did that so as to tie the
Sudanese army (one of the largest in the Arab world) in an endless
civil war in the forests of southern Sudan. Most of the Israeli
supplies passed through Uganda. Neither the Anyanya rebels nor the
Sudanese army could win that war of attrition in the south.
In March 1972, an agreement was signed in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia)
between Nimeiri's government and the leaders of the south, ending the
17-year civil war. The agreement called for: 1) Cease-fire; 2) Semi-
independence for the south, with its own Parliament; 3) All Anyanya
rebels to be granted amnesty and be absorbed in the national army; 4)
English to be the official language in the south; 5) All refugees to
return home and to be rehabilitated.
National Movements and New States in Africa