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