# Nile Provisional Government (c. 1969)

URL: https://allhistories.com/south-sudan/timeline/1969-nile-provisional-government
Location: Southern Sudan
Themes: main-event

The Southern Sudan Provisional Government formed at Angudri in 1967 broke down amid quarrels between leaders from different regions. Anyanya commanders complained that exile politicians were contributing little to the war while competing for titles. In March 1969 a new body, the Nile Provisional Government (NPG), was established with Gordon Muortat Mayen, a Dinka politician and former Southern Front vice-president, as president. Other leaders formed rival authorities, including the Anyidi Revolutionary Government associated with General Emilio Tafeng and smaller regional administrations, each claiming to direct the struggle. The NPG's leadership was drawn largely from Bahr el Ghazal and Upper Nile, and it struggled to obtain the loyalty of Equatorian commanders, who were closer to the supply routes from Uganda. The proliferation of governments weakened the movement's credibility with outside supporters. In 1970 Joseph Lagu, commander of the Anyanya in eastern Equatoria and the main channel for foreign arms, declared that the army would no longer be subordinate to the politicians, and by 1971 the NPG had dissolved and its supporters had joined Lagu's unified movement. At this point in the timeline (1969), the Permanent President of the Sovereignty Council was Ismail al-Azhari (10 June 1965 – 25 May 1969). Government: the Prime Minister of Sudan was Muhammad Ahmad Mahgoub (18 May 1967 – 25 May 1969).

## Why it matters
The NPG was the last of the exile provisional governments before military unification under Joseph Lagu.

Ruler at the Time: [Ismail al-Azhari](https://allhistories.com/south-sudan/rulers/ismail-al-azhari)

Prime Minister of Sudan: Muhammad Ahmad Mahgoub (National Umma Party)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Gordon Muortat Mayen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Muortat_Mayen)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica — Gordon Muortat Mayen](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Gordon+Muortat+Mayen)
- [Library of Congress Country Study — Sudan (countrystudies.us)](http://countrystudies.us/sudan/)
- [Wikipedia — First Civil War and Regional Autonomy (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Sudanese_Civil_War)