# Nimeiry Dissolves Regional Government (c. 1980)

URL: https://allhistories.com/south-sudan/timeline/1980-nimeiry-dissolves-regional-government
Location: Juba, Central Equatoria
Themes: main-event

Joseph Lagu's High Executive Council had been weakened by factional disputes in the Regional Assembly, accusations of misconduct and conflict with the central government. Nimeiry, as president of Sudan, retained powers under the Self-Government Act to intervene in the regional administration. In February 1980 Nimeiry dissolved the People's Regional Assembly and the High Executive Council and appointed an interim administration pending new elections. Elections were held later in 1980, and the new assembly elected Abel Alier as president of the High Executive Council once more. Southern critics argued that Nimeiry's intervention violated the spirit of regional autonomy. Lagu's supporters accused Alier's camp and the central government of conspiring against him, while his opponents pointed to administrative failures and divisions within his own council. Alier's second administration faced a deteriorating situation, including disputes with Khartoum over oil and borders and the growing campaign for redivision of the south. The intervention set a precedent for central interference that Nimeiry repeated in 1981 and culminated in the abolition of the Southern Region in 1983. At this point in the timeline (February 1980), the President of the Sudan was Gaafar Nimeiry (12 October 1971 – 6 April 1985). Government: the Prime Minister of Sudan was Gaafar Nimeiry (10 September 1977 – 6 April 1985). In the South: the President of the High Executive Council of the Southern Region was Peter Gatkuoth Gual (12 July 1979 – 30 May 1980).

## Why it matters
The 1980 dissolution showed the limits of southern autonomy and established a pattern of presidential interference in the region.

Ruler at the Time: [Gaafar Nimeiry](https://allhistories.com/south-sudan/rulers/gaafar-nimeiry)

Prime Minister of Sudan: Gaafar Nimeiry (Military / Sudanese Socialist Union)
President of the High Executive Council of the Southern Region: Peter Gatkuoth Gual (SSU)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Abel Alier](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abel_Alier)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica — Abel Alier](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Abel+Alier)
- [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)