Sayed Abdallah Khalil ( ar, عبد الله خليل; ) was a prominent

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

ese politician who served as the second

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

of Sudan.

Early life

Khalil was born in Omdurman and was of Kenzi

Nubian Nubian may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Nubia, a region along the Nile river in Southern Egypt and northern Sudan. *Nubian people *Nubian languages *Anglo-Nubian goat, a breed of goat * Nubian ibex * , several ships of the Britis ...

origin. In a place called balana in between the Egyptian and Sudanese territories.

Military service

Khalil served in the Egyptian Army from 1910 to 1924, and the

Sudan Defence Force The Sudan Defence Force (SDF) was a locally recruited British-led force formed in 1925 to assist the police in the event of civil unrest, and to maintain the borders of British administered Sudan. During the Second World War, it also served bey ...

from 1925 until 1944. He was the first Sudanese to reach the rank of Brigadier (Miralai).

Political career

In 1944 Khalil became an influential member of the

Advisory Council for the Northern Sudan Advisory may refer to: * Advisory board, a body that provides advice to the management of a corporation, organization, or foundation * Boil-water advisory, a public health directive given by government to consumers when a community's drinking wate ...

, which became a pro-Mahdist organisation. In 1945 Khalil helped found the

Umma Party The National Umma Party ( ar, حزب الأمة القومي , translit=Hizb al-Umma al-qawmmy; en, Nation Party) is an Islamic political party in Sudan. It was formerly led by Sadiq al-Mahdi, who served twice as Prime Minister of Sudan, and ...

, and became the party's first Secretary General. In 1947 he became a member of the Independence Front, serving as a representative of Umma Party interests, opposing the dominant

Khatmiyya The Khatmiyya is a Sufi order or tariqa founded by Sayyid Mohammed Uthman al-Mirghani al-Khatim. The Khatmiyya is the largest Sufi order in Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia. It also has followers in Egypt, Chad, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Uganda, Ye ...

interests. Khalil maintained a close relationship with Colonial Administrators

Robert George Howe Sir Robert George Howe (born Derby, England, 19 September 1893, died 22 June 1981) was a British diplomat who served as Governor-General of the Sudan from 1947 to 1955. Education Howe was educated at Derby School and St Catharine's College, Camb ...

and J.W. Robertson, often serving as an advocate for their views on Sudanese politics. Khalil's constant struggle with the Khatmiyya is often criticized, with it being alleged that he helped to make the emerging Sudanese nationalism divisive and sectarian. Khalil was for instance appointed Minister of Agriculture in 1947, largely due to his insistence that this was necessary to counterbalance the strong role of the Khatmiyya and to respond to the Sudanization press. In 1948 Khalil became leader of the newly formed Legislative Assembly and Executive Council, serving the Umma Party's representative on the Constitutional Commission. Khalil was elected to parliament in the 1953 parliamentary election. Following the 1958 election Khalil formed a coalition government comprising his

and the

People's Democratic Party People's Democratic Party or ''variant thereof'', could refer to: * People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan *People's Democratic Party (Belize) *People's Democratic Party (Bhutan) *People's Democratic Party (Chile) * People's Democratic Party (Dom ...

. Khalil served as Prime Minister and

Minister of Defence A defence minister or minister of defence is a Cabinet (government), cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from coun ...

in the new government. He allied Sudan with the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, sparking a tense standoff with

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

under

Gamal Abdel Nasser Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein, . (15 January 1918 – 28 September 1970) was an Egyptian politician who served as the second president of Egypt from 1954 until his death in 1970. Nasser led the Egyptian revolution of 1952 and introduced far-re ...

. On November 17, 1958, Khalil carried out a military coup against his own government, putting the government under the control of a military junta. (''See

History of Sudan (Independent Sudan) The history of Sudan refers to both the territory of the Republic of the Sudan, including what became in 2011 the independent state of South Sudan. The territory of Sudan is geographically part of a larger African region, also known by the ter ...

'')

References

External links

* Gabriel Warburg
Hot Spot: Egypt and Sudan Wrangle over Halayib
''Middle East Quarterly'' Vol. 1 No. 1, March 1994 {{DEFAULTSORT:Khalil, Abdallah 1892 births 1970 deaths People from Omdurman Sudanese people of Nubian descent National Umma Party politicians Prime Ministers of Sudan