Babiker Awadalla ( ar, بابكر عوض الله; 2 March 1917 – 17 January 2019) was a Sudanese Arab nationalist politician who was Prime Minister of Sudan from 25 May 1969 to 27 October 1969.
Early life and education
Awadalla was born in the
White Nile State
White Nile State ( ') is one of the 18 wilayat or states of Sudan. It has an area of 39,701 km2 and an estimated population of approximately 2,493,880 people (2018 est). Since 1994 Rabak is the capital of the state; other important cities inc ...
on 2 March 1917.
In 1940, he graduated from the
Gordon Memorial College
Gordon Memorial College was an educational institution in Sudan. It was built between 1899 and 1902 as part of Lord Kitchener's wide-ranging educational reforms.
Named for General 'Chinese' Charles George Gordon of the British army, who was kill ...
law school.
Career
Awadalla held the position of
Speaker of the lower house of the Sudanese legislature from 1954 to 1957.
In 1964, he provided the drive to start the October Revolution by siding against the military in charge of Sudan. After the revolution, he became Sudan's Chief Justice in 1964.
In 1967, Awadalla resigned from his position as Chief Justice in protest of the government's refusal to reinstate the
Sudanese Communist Party
The Sudanese Communist Party ( abbr. SCP; ar, الحزب الشيوعي السوداني, Al-Hizb al-Shuyui al-Sudani) is a communist party in Sudan. Founded in 1946, it was a major force in Sudanese politics in the early post-independence y ...
, which the nation's courts had held to be unconstitutionally banned from parliament.
Cabinet
Awadalla was part of the
coup of May 1969 that started Gaafar Nimeiry's presidency.
In
Gaafar Nimeiry
Jaafar Muhammad an-Nimeiry (otherwise spelled in English as Jaafar Nimeiry, Gaafar Nimeiry or Ja'far Muhammad Numayri; ar, جعفر محمد النميري; 26 April 192830 May 2009) was a Sudanese politician who served as the president of Sud ...
's military cabinet, Awadalla was the only civilian member on the
National Revolutionary Command Council.
Awadalla was selected as both Prime Minister and Foreign Minister on 25 May 1969. His position as Prime Minister ended on 27 October 1969 and he kept his position as
Foreign Minister of Sudan
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( ar, وزارة الشؤون الخارجية) is the Sudanese cabinet ministry which oversees the foreign relations
A state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) ...
until 1971. After finishing his previous positions, Awadalla held the positions of Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister in 1971.
Next he was
Vice President of Sudan
The vice president of Sudan is the second highest political position obtainable in Sudan. Currently there is a provision for one ''de facto'' vice president, deputy chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, who is appointed by the chairm ...
from 1972 to 1973.
United Nations
During a General Assembly meeting on 23 September 1969, Awadalla warned that the United States's decision of supporting Israel during the
Arab-Israel conflict could provoke the use of nuclear weapons in the Middle East.
Later life and death
After 1972 Awadalla moved to
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 ...
, and later
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, where he was reported to be living in May 2017. Awadalla died on 17 January 2019, at the age of 101 of natural causes.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Awadalla, Babiker
1917 births
2019 deaths
People from White Nile (state)
Vice presidents of Sudan
Foreign ministers of Sudan
Government ministers of Sudan
Speakers of the National Assembly (Sudan)
Sudanese judges
Prime Ministers of Sudan
Sudanese Arab nationalists
Sudanese emigrants to Ireland
Sudanese centenarians
Men centenarians
Sudanese expatriates in Egypt