Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

Hashem al-Atta (; ) 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 military officer and political figure. Whilst he initially served in the National Revolutionary Command Council under

Gaafar 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 president of Sudan, hea ...

, he is best known for his involvement in the 1971 coup d'état attempt, in which he, and other pro-communist members of the

Sudanese Armed Forces The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF; ) are the military forces of the Republic of the Sudan. The force strength has been estimated at personnel in 2011 (by IISS), 200,000 personnel before the current war in Sudan broke out in 2023 (by the CIA), and ...

attempted to overthrow Nimeiry and seize power. Initially successful, after several days the Revolutionary Government collapsed when Nimeiry was freed by loyalist military units. Following the failed coup attempt Atta and the other ringleaders were executed.

Early life and education

Atta was born on 12 March 1936 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 ...

in what was then

Anglo-Egyptian Sudan Anglo-Egyptian Sudan ( ') was a condominium (international law), condominium of the United Kingdom and Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt between 1899 and 1956, corresponding mostly to the territory of present-day South Sudan and Sudan. Legally, sovereig ...

. He went on to graduate from high school in 1957, and immediately joined the

Sudanese Air Force The Sudanese Air Force () is the air force, aerial warfare branch of the Military of Sudan, Sudanese Armed Forces. It was established in 1956 following Sudan's independence earlier that year, and first saw action in the First Sudanese Civil War. ...

, graduating from the

Air Force Academy An air force academy or air academy is a national institution that provides initial officer training, possibly including undergraduate level education, to air force officer cadets who are preparing to be commissioned officers in a national air forc ...

as a Second Lieutenant in 1959.

Military career

He then proceeded to study in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

from 1962 to 1963, in

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

from 1963 to 1964, and in the

United Arab Republic The United Arab Republic (UAR; ) was a sovereign state in the Middle East from 1958 to 1971. It was initially a short-lived political union between Republic of Egypt (1953–1958), Egypt (including Occupation of the Gaza Strip by the United Ara ...

and

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 ...

in 1965. Atta then went on to serve in the Sudanese Action Central Command from 1959 to 1963, before serving as a teacher at the Sudanese Infantry School from 1963 to 1965. Following this he served with the Sudanese Army's Southern Command from 1966 to 1968, before going on to serve as a Military Attache from 1968 to 1969 at the Sudanese Embassy in

Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...

, then the capital of West Germany. Following the 1969 coup d'état which brought Nimeiry to power Atta became a member of the ruling National Revolutionary Command Council. Atta served in several posts, including as Assistant Prime Minister (with a portfolio focusing on agriculture) before being arrested and removed from all posts on 16 November 1970.

Coup attempt

Atta achieved prominence in July 1971, leading a leftist coup in Khartoum on 19 July against Nimeiry's government. The coup was initially successful and Atta became the new Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, Vice President, and Minister of Defense in the new Revolutionary Command Council. The new government was however beset by infighting. On 23 July Nimeiry loyalists freed Nimeiry and returned him to power. Atta was summarily court-martialled and sentenced to death alongside the coup's other leaders, and was executed later the same day by firing squad.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Atta, Hashem al- 1936 births 1971 deaths Executed communists People from Omdurman Sudanese communists Sudanese military personnel People executed by Sudan by firing squad Sudanese Communist Party politicians Sudanese Military College alumni