Alshafi Ahmed Elshikh
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El-Shafie Ahmed el-Sheikh ( ; 2 May 1924 – 28 July 1971) was Secretary-General of the Sudanese General Federation of Workers' Trade Unions (SWTUF), member of the executive committee of ICATU and vice-president of the
World Federation of Trade Unions The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) is an international federation of trade union, trade unions established on October 3, 1945. Founded in the immediate aftermath of World War Two, the organization built on the pre-war legacy of the Int ...
(WFTU). He was awarded
Lenin Peace Prize The International Lenin Peace Prize (, ''mezhdunarodnaya Leninskaya premiya mira)'' was a Soviet Union award named in honor of Vladimir Lenin. It was awarded by a panel appointed by the Soviet government, to notable individuals whom the panel ...
"For strengthening of peace among peoples" in 1970. After the failed attempt coup in 1971, he was hanged by
Nimeiry Gaafar Muhammad an-Nimeiry (otherwise spelled in English as Gaafar Nimeiry, Jaafar Nimeiry, or Ja'far Muhammad Numayri; ; 1 January 193030 May 2009) was a Sudanese military officer and politician who served as the fourth head of state of Sudan ...
's government.


Biography

El-Shafia Ahmed el-Sheikh was born on 2 May 1924 in
Shendi Shendi or Shandi () is a small city in northern Sudan, situated on the southeastern bank of the Nile River 150 km northeast of Khartoum. Shandi is also about 45 km southwest of the ancient city of Meroë. Located in the River Nile s ...
,
River Nile State River Nile State () is one of the 18 wilayat or states of Sudan. It has an area of 122,123 km² (47,152 mi²) and an estimated population of 1,511,442 (2018 est). It is made up of seven localities. Localities * Ad-Damir (Capital) * At ...
, in the
Ja'alin tribe The Ja'alin, Ja'aliya, Ja'aliyin or Ja'al () are an Arab or Arabised Nubian tribe in Sudan. They claim Arab descent. The Ja'alin formerly occupied the country on both banks of the Nile from Khartoum to Abu Hamad; Citation: ''The Anglo-Egyptian ...
. el-Sheikh graduated from a craft school in the city
Atbara Atbara (sometimes Atbarah) ( ʿAṭbarah) is a city located in River Nile State in northeastern Sudan. Because of its links to the railway industry, Atbara is also known as the 'Railway City'. Atbara's population was recorded as 134,586 dur ...
, then he worked as a railway worker and in railway workshops.


Trade union

el-Sheikh took an active part in the labour and communist movement in Sudan. In 1947, he participated in the creation of the first railway workers' union in Sudan, he became its secretary general and laid the foundations for the future General Federation of Workers' Trade Unions of the Sudan. In 1948, he was appointed Assistant Secretary General of the Federation. el-Sheikh co-founded the Railway Workers Affairs Authority, which later became the Sudan Workers Union. Before he turned 24, in 1948, he was selected as Assistant Secretary General of Sudanese Trade Unions. He worked to establish links between the Sudanese labour movement and the international and Arab labor movements. He later became the Secretary-General of the Sudanese General Federation of Workers' Trade Unions (SWTUF), member of the executive committee of
International Confederation of Arab Trade Unions The International Confederation of Arab Trade Unions (ICATU; ar:"الاتحاد الدولي لنقابات العمال العربي") is the international representation of trade unions in a number of Arab nations. Founded in 1956, the ICATU ...
. He was elected in 1957 as a Vice President of the
World Federation of Trade Unions The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) is an international federation of trade union, trade unions established on October 3, 1945. Founded in the immediate aftermath of World War Two, the organization built on the pre-war legacy of the Int ...
as the youngest trade union leader to assume this global responsibility. In 1964, he was again elected Assistant Secretary General to the President of the Sudan Workers Union by 55 unions.
Ibrahim Abboud Ibrahim Abboud (; 26 October 1900 – 8 September 1983) was a Sudanese military officer and political figure who served as the head of state of Sudan between 1958 and 1964 and as President of Sudan in 1964; however, he soon resigned, ending S ...
's government tried to prevent a meeting of the General Conference of the Workers of Sudan and the escalation of the struggle of the Sudanese National Movement after that with the participation of most segments of Sudanese society to turn into an uprising that toppled the military regime.


Communism and politics

Since 1946, he has been a member of
Sudanese Communist Party The Sudanese Communist Party ( abbr. SCP; ) is a communist party in Sudan. Founded in 1946, it was a major force in Sudanese politics in the early post-independence years, and was one of the two most influential communist parties in the Arab ...
(UPC). In 1951, he was elected a member of the Central Committee of the Party, and then secretary of the Central Committee and a member of the
Politburo A politburo () or political bureau is the highest organ of the central committee in communist parties. The term is also sometimes used to refer to similar organs in socialist and Islamist parties, such as the UK Labour Party's NEC or the Poli ...
of the Central Committee of UPC. For his activities, he was repeatedly subjected to reprisals by the authorities, arrests and imprisonment, for example, for resisting
Ibrahim Abboud Ibrahim Abboud (; 26 October 1900 – 8 September 1983) was a Sudanese military officer and political figure who served as the head of state of Sudan between 1958 and 1964 and as President of Sudan in 1964; however, he soon resigned, ending S ...
military regime was sentenced to five years in prison in 1959. He was awarded the International Peace Medal while he was in prison, which he was able to receive after his release in 1964, when 55 trade unions re-elected him as Assistant Secretary General of the Federation of Workers' Trade Unions of Sudan. When a coalition government headed by Mr. Sirr Al-Khatam Al-Khalifa was formed after the Sudanese revolution of October 1964, el-Sheikh was named a minister representing the Labor Union, for the period from October 1964 to February 1965. Since 1965, el-Sheikh has been selected as a member of
World Peace Council The World Peace Council (WPC) is an international organization created in 1949 by the Cominform and propped up by the Soviet Union. Throughout the Cold War, WPC engaged in propaganda efforts on behalf of the Soviet Union, whereby it criticize ...
. Since June 1967, he has headed the Sudanese Committee for the Protection of the Rights of Arab Peoples, formed in response to
Six-Day war The Six-Day War, also known as the June War, 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states, primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan from 5 to 10June ...
. On 16 April 1970, he was awarded the
Lenin Peace Prize The International Lenin Peace Prize (, ''mezhdunarodnaya Leninskaya premiya mira)'' was a Soviet Union award named in honor of Vladimir Lenin. It was awarded by a panel appointed by the Soviet government, to notable individuals whom the panel ...
, "for the consolidating peace among peoples" for 1968 and 1969. In some cases in GSE's 3rd edition the year is that, "in which" the Prize was awarded, in other cases – "for which". Hence, the year "1970" there seems to be the Prize "for 1969" or "for 1968–1969"


Prosecution

In July 1971, after the short-lived coup of Major Hashim Al-Atta and a counter-coup, the Sudanese authorities of the general
Jaafar Nimeiry Gaafar Muhammad an-Nimeiry (otherwise spelled in English as Gaafar Nimeiry, Jaafar Nimeiry, or Ja'far Muhammad Numayri; ; 1 January 193030 May 2009) was a Sudanese military officer and politician who served as the fourth head of state of Sudan ...
accused el-Sheikh and other representatives of the Communist Party leadership (such as
Abdel Khaliq Mahjub Abdel Khaliq Mahjub () (23 September 1927 – 28 July 1971) was a Sudanese communist politician. Mahjub was born in Omdurman. He served as the General Secretary of the Sudanese Communist Party until his death by execution in Khartum during the G ...
and Joseph Garang) in involvement in the coup attempt. He was imprisoned and tortured in
Kobar prison Kobar Prison (), formerly known as Cooper prison, is one of the oldest prisons in Sudan, dating back to 1903. It was built by the administration of the former Anglo-Egyptian Sudan (1899–1956) and was named Kobar in Arabic after the Britis ...
. He was sentenced him to death by a
military tribunal Military justice (or military law) is the body of laws and procedures governing members of the armed forces. Many nation-states have separate and distinct bodies of law that govern the conduct of members of their armed forces. Some states us ...
on 26 July 1971. According to the Radio Omdurman, the verdict was approved by General Nimeiri. Before being hanged on 28 July 1971, el-Sheikh threw the rope on himself and proclaimed: "Long live the Sudanese people! Long live the working class!." In total, eleven officers, five civilians executed, hundreds of detainees, pursuers, and expelled from their jobs.


Aftermath

Following the executions, the Sudanese government dissolved several trade union federations and their affiliated unions, including the Sudanese General Federation of Workers' Trade Unions, the Sudanese General Federation of Employees, and the Sudanese General Federation of Teachers' Trade Unions. The government argues that this dissolution was carried out with the consent of certain trade union organizations to reorganize the trade unions under new legislation. The
International Labour Organization The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is one of the firs ...
(ILO) Committee highlights that such actions by the executive branch, without ensuring the right to defense, violate trade union rights. The newly enacted Trade Unions Act imposes limitations on the formation of multiple unions within a sector, creating a trade union monopoly that contradicts the principles of freedom of association. The ILO Committee recommends deferring further examination of the case until the government provides its response to additional allegations and information presented by the World Federation of Trade Unions. In 1973, delegates and visitors to the Trade Union Congress stood for two minutes silence to observe the memory of el-Sheikh. On 2 May 2007, Fatima Ahmed Ibrahim, el-Sheikh wife and a prominent member of the
Sudanese Communist Party The Sudanese Communist Party ( abbr. SCP; ) is a communist party in Sudan. Founded in 1946, it was a major force in Sudanese politics in the early post-independence years, and was one of the two most influential communist parties in the Arab ...
and a parliamentarian, was suspended from participating in parliamentary sessions for a month and was denied her allowances. This decision was made after she physically attacked , a representative of the National Congress Party (NCP), during a session. Fatima accused him of being responsible for the torture and murder of her husband, el-Sheikh. The incident caused chaos, with some demanding Fatima's expulsion from the Assembly. However, the first deputy speaker,
Atem Garang Atem may refer to: People * Atem Kuol Atem, South-Sudanese–Australian basketball player * David Manyok Barac Atem, South Sudanese military leader * Valentine Atem, Cameroonian footballer Other uses * ''Atem'' (album), Tangerine Dream's 1 ...
, insisted on following the proper procedures. The Communist Party distanced itself from Fatima's actions, stating that they were her personal behavior. The NCP condemned the incident, and the Assembly launched an investigation, expressing concerns about potential negative portrayal of Sudan in the international media.


References


Further reading

* {{Authority control 1924 births 1972 deaths Recipients of the Lenin Peace Prize Sudanese politicians Sudanese communists Sudanese Communist Party politicians People from River Nile State Ja'alin tribe Sudanese trade unionists People executed by Sudan by hanging Executed Sudanese people