The Southern Sudan Federal Party was a short-lived political party in

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 ...

, formed in 1957. It was successful in the 1958 parliamentary elections, but left parliament when it was clear that its federalist constitutional proposals would be rejected, and shortly afterwards broke up. Sudan gained independence in January 1956, with elections scheduled for February-March 1958. In 1957

Ezboni Mondiri Ezboni Mondiri Gwanza was a politician in Southern Sudan. He was one of the founders of the Southern Sudan Federal Party (SSFP) in 1957, which competed in the Sudanese parliamentary election in 1958. Later he was active in secessionist movements. ...

and other young intellectuals and university graduates from the south decided to found a party to advocate policies needed by the south. Father

Saturnino Lohure Hilangi Saturnino Ohure Hilangi, or Saturnino Lohure (c. 1921 – 22 January 1967) was a Roman Catholic priest and a politician who played an important role in the early movement for secession of South Sudan. Saturnino Ohure was of Lotuho origin. He w ...

was another founder. The founders called the party the Southern Federal Party, Federal Party and the Federalist Party. The party constitution laid out principles that included calling for an equal federation of northern and southern states, with English and Arabic given equal recognition. The state would be secular, with Islam and Christianity recognized as the two major religions but respecting other religions. The south would have a separate civil service, educational system and army. The Federal Party formed a united front with the Anti-Imperialist Front (AIF). The incumbent prime minister

Ismail al-Azhari Ismail al-Azhari (October 20, 1900 – August 26, 1969) ( ar, إسماعيل الأزهري) was a Sudanese nationalist and political figure. He served as the first Prime Minister of Sudan between 1954 and 1956, and as President of Sudan from 19 ...

also formed bonds with the Federals and the unions. In the February 1958 elections the Federalists won forty parliamentary seats out of the forty six allocated to the south. The party platform represented a serious challenge to the authorities. However, when it became clear that the Federal demands would be ignored by the Constituent Assembly, on 16 June 1958 the southern MPs left parliament. The government arrested Mondiri and the SSFP broke up. In its place, Father Saturnino formed the Southern Block, with 25 members. In November 1958 General Ibrahim Abboud seized power and dissolved parliament.

References

{{reflist , refs= {{cite book , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uPyUCHiik5sC&pg=PA170 , page=170 , title=Manichaean delirium: decolonizing the judiciary and Islamic renewal in Sudan, 1898-1985 , author=Abdullahi Ali Ibrahim , publisher=BRILL , year=2008 , isbn=978-90-04-14110-0 {{cite web , url = http://johnyoh.com/pdf/Foreign%20policy%20trends%20in%20Southern%20Sudan.pdf?PHPSESSID=r1femrjaitc5ennhn2jls9o4q4 , title = NOTES ON FOREIGN POLICY TRENDS OF SOUTHERN SUDAN POLITICAL AND MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS AND PARTIES (1940s-1972) , last = Nyuot Yoh , first = John G. , pages = 16–17 , date = 19 July – 28 August 2005 , access-date = 2011-08-20 , url-status = dead , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120330235949/http://johnyoh.com/pdf/Foreign%20policy%20trends%20in%20Southern%20Sudan.pdf?PHPSESSID=r1femrjaitc5ennhn2jls9o4q4 , archive-date = 30 March 2012 .{{cite book , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0lSH6-0HRaYC&pg=PA243 , page=243 , title=Case studies on human rights and fundamental freedoms: a world survey, Volume 4 , last1=Veenhoven , first1=Willem Adriaan, first2=Winifred Crum , last2=Ewing , publisher=Martinus Nijhoff Publishers , year=1977 , isbn=90-247-1956-9 {{cite book , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T7aht1_gXSgC&pg=PA105 , page=105 , title=Islam, nationalism and communism in a traditional society: the case of Sudan , author=Gabriel Warburg , publisher=Routledge , year=1978 , isbn=0-7146-3080-2 Defunct political parties in South Sudan