Sayed Abdallah Khalil (; ) was a

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

ese politician who served as the second

prime minister A prime minister 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. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

of Sudan.

Early life

Khalil was born in

Omdurman Omdurman () is a major city in Sudan. It is the second most populous city in the country, located in the State of Khartoum. Omdurman lies on the west bank of the River Nile, opposite and northwest of the capital city of Khartoum. The city acts ...

and was of Kenzi Nubian origin.

Military service

Khalil served in the

Egyptian Army The Egyptian Army (), officially the Egyptian Ground Forces (), is the land warfare branch (and largest service branch) of the Egyptian Armed Forces. Until the declaration of the Republic and the abolishment of the monarchy on 18 June 1953, it w ...

from 1910 to 1924, and the

Sudan Defence Force The Sudan Defence Force (SDF) was a British Colonial Auxiliary Forces unit raised in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan in 1925 to assist local police in internal security duties and maintain the condominium's territorial integrity. During World War II, ...

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, which became a pro-Mahdist organisation. In 1945 Khalil helped found the Umma Party, 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 brotherhood (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, U ...

interests. Khalil maintained a close relationship with Colonial Administrators Robert George Howe 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 Umma Party and the People's Democratic Party. Khalil served as Prime Minister and

Minister of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

in the new government. He allied Sudan with the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, sparking a tense standoff with

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

under

Gamal Abdel Nasser Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein (15 January 1918 – 28 September 1970) was an Egyptian military officer and revolutionary who served as the second president of Egypt from 1954 until his death in 1970. Nasser led the Egyptian revolution of 1952 a ...

. 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)'')

References

External links

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