From Declassified American Documents about the Flooding of Wadi Halfa

Sudan Events – Agencies

After months of calm, protests erupted in major Sudanese cities following the announcement by General Abboud’s regime that the residents of Halfa, whose areas would be submerged due to the construction of the High Dam, would be relocated to Khashm El-Girba.

The protests began on October 22, when a ministerial delegation visited Halfa and announced that around 40,000 people must be relocated before June 1963, in accordance with the Nile Waters Agreement with Egypt. However, the decision came as a surprise to the people of Halfa, as General Abboud had previously stated they would have the right to choose their new place of residence. Around 40 people were injured and about 30 arrested in the protests.

The protests spread to other cities, bringing further arrests and injuries. In Khartoum, Halfa residents and their supporters demonstrated, marching to General Abboud’s residence and to the homes of ministers. Women wore black mourning clothes and sang songs of grief, as if they had lost loved ones.

Initially, the protests aimed to secure the Halfa residents’ right to choose where to relocate. Later, they shifted to opposing the Nile Waters Agreement with Egypt and ultimately to condemning Abboud’s regime for signing it.

According to our sources, the protest leaders opposed the agreement because many neutral observers considered it unfair to Sudan. They claim the Sudanese delegation in the Nile water negotiations in Cairo (led by Major General Talaat Farid, Minister of Information and Labour) was pressured by the Egyptians and agreed due to ignorance and bribery. (Comment: This document contains no details on the “bribery” issue, though it is frequently mentioned when discussing why the Sudanese negotiators signed the agreement. Other alleged incentives for the negotiators are also raised.)

According to our information, leaders from the Umma Party and the National Unionist Party cooperated with the protest leaders. It became clear there was an agreement that the ultimate goal was to topple the Abboud regime. However, the communists did not participate in these protests. We believe their request to join was rejected. (Comment: Was this because the communists supported the Nile Waters Agreement?)

According to our sources, the communists increased their publications against Abboud’s regime and attempted to join the Halfa protests. However, sources within all three protest groups stated they did not want to ally with the communists.

Another point: these three groups do not yet know how to respond to the expected visit of Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser to attend the second anniversary celebrations of the Abboud revolution. Some of their leaders said they would try to block the visit, while others said they would demonstrate against Nasser and hold him responsible for the (unfair) agreement.

We will wait and see what happens…

On October 31, Abboud’s regime released many of those arrested during the protests. However, 45 individuals were put on secret trial. Among them:

Mohamed Tawfiq, former Director of the Labour Department, dismissed for leading one of the protests.

Mahmoud Ibrahim Ahmed, son of a former Minister of Finance.

A famous lawyer and a well-known singer. (Comment: The document does not mention the lawyer’s name; the singer is Mohammed Wardi, as listed below.)

(Embassy Opinion):

1. It is now clear that opponents of Abboud’s regime are using the Halfa issue to try to bring down the regime. After nearly a year of calm, Sudan seems set to witness major public opposition to the regime.

2. Abboud’s decision to relocate Halfa residents to Khashm El-Girba, after previously promising they could choose their destination, is a clear breach of promise. This can be seen as an insult to the Sudanese people.

3. The people of Halfa do not share the same ethnic and cultural traits as other northern Sudanese. They are better educated and hold many high-ranking government positions. Therefore, despite their small numbers, they are capable of creating instability.

4. Regardless of what happens with these protests in the future, this moment marks a turning point—a major confrontation with a military regime isolated from civilian opinion and treating civilians as if they were soldiers.

Abboud may resort to further repression, but these protests remain a challenge—and a turning point.

List of Detainees in the Khartoum Protests:

Mohamed Tawfiq, Director of the Labour Department

Saleh Mahmoud Ismail, accountant

Abdel Monem Mokhtar, Ministry of Finance

Khalil Mohamed Ahmed, Presidential Telephones

Ahmed Sadiq Khalil, Ministry of Education

Sayed Sharif, businessman

Mohamed Dehab Kabara, health officer

Ahmed Khalil Mohamed, postal agent at Aroma

Mohamed Kabara, businessman

Mohamed Osman Wardi, famous singer

Abdo Dehab, businessman

Ahmed Abdo Aloub, businessman

Anwar Tawfiq, translator at the British Embassy

Mahmoud Ibrahim Ahmed, USAID office, Ministry of Finance

Mohamed Ibrahim Taher, journalist

And university students:

Abdullah Ahmed Musa

Abdullah Hassan Abdel Rahman

Farouk Mohamed Kadouda

And a number of other students