Buth Diu
Encyclopedia
Buth Diu was a politician who was one of the leaders of the Liberal Party
in Sudan
in the years before and after independence in 1956. His party represented the interests of the southerners.
Although in favor of a federal system under which the south would have its own laws and administration, Buth Diu was not in favor of southern secession. As positions hardened during the drawn-out First Sudanese Civil War
(1955-1972) his compromise position was increasingly discredited.
He was born in Fangak
in Southern Sudan.
Buth Diu did not attend school, but managed to obtain a job as a houseboy of the British District Commissioner.
He taught himself English and learned to read and write and type.
With these skills, he became interpreter for the District Commissioner, an influential post.
By 1947 he was a local government official.
independence of both Britain and Egypt.
Buth Diu was one of the southern leaders who attended a conference held at Juba
on 12-13 June 1947 to discuss the recommendations of an earlier conference held in Khartoum at which it had been decided that the south and north of Sudan should be united in one country.
Southerners were (and are) very different ethnically and culturally from the people of northern Sudan, but the rationale was that Sudan was huge but poor, and if divided both parts would be extremely weak.
No southerners had attended the Khartoum conference.
At the Juba conference, Buth Diu said that although northerners claimed they did not want to dominate the South, there must be safeguards. Northerners should not be allowed to settle on land in the south without permission, should not interfere in local government in the south and should not be allowed in law to call a southerner a slave.
However, Diu was not in favor of separation.
He said the government should select representatives from the south who would go to the North to study and to participate in legislation, finance, and administration.
He said that Arabic should be introduced into southern schools without delay so they could catch up to the north.
Buth Diu formed an "Upper Nile Political Association" in Upper Nile province.
The Governor-General of Sudan announced the formation of the Constitution Amendment Commission in March 1951. Buth Diu was the sole southerner of the commission, which had 16 northerners and three British officials including the chairman.
When the commission started work on 26 March 1951, Buth Diu called for a federal constitution.
His proposals were persistently rejected by the northern members of the commission, and he resigned in disgust.
The commission continued without southern representation.
However, the British members of the commission did insist on some safeguards in the draft constitution to protect southern interests, including a special Minister for the southern provinces and an Advisory Board for southern affairs. The northerners managed to later remove this provision.
, Abdel Rahman Sule
and Buth Diu.
As the Secretary General of the party, Buth Diu protested to the United Nations
against the agreement that had been reached by the Constitution Amendment Commission.
In 1952 the party changed its name to the Southern Party.
As of 1953 the party leaders were Benjamin Lwoki
, Chairman, Stanslaus Paysama, Vice Chairman, Buth Diu, Secretary General and Abdel Rahman Sule, Patron of the party.
The objectives were to work for complete independence of Sudan, with special treatment for the south.
The party was officially registered in 1953. At first it had widespread support from the southern intelligentsia and from the bulk of the people in the south of Sudan.
In 1954 the party was renamed the Liberal Party to avoid any suspicion that it was working for independence of the south, but no northerners joined.
Buth Diu toured the south in August 1954 at the expense of Sayyid 'Abd al-Rahman, patron of the Ummah Party, and in his speeches quoted the National Unionist Party (NUP) campaign promises. (The NUP had won the previous elections).
Prime minister Ismael Azhari described this as seditious talk and threatened to use force to prevent secession.
Ismael Azhari eliminated Buth Diu and Bullen Alier from his cabinet for their criticism of the policy of his government on Southern Sudan.
The Sudanese parliament was dissolved in November 1958 after a military coup by General Ibrahim Abboud
.
In 1965 a northern-dominated government was elected led by Muhammad Ahmad Mahgoub
.
This government paid lip service to a peaceful solution to the southern problem, while waging an increasingly brutal war against the Anyanya
rebels.
The Southern Front
withdrew its candidates for the Supreme Council and the Cabinet, saying that the government had violated its agreement that the Southern Front would be the sole representative of the south.
The Sudan African National Union
(SANU) had two members appointed to the cabinet, Alfred Wol Akoc and Andrew Wieu, and Buth Diu was appointed to the third seat reserved for a southerner in the cabinet.
He was given the position of Minister of Animal Resources.
The two SANU ministers resigned in protest after the Juba and Wau massacres.
Buth Diu and Philimon Majok were now the only representatives of Southern Sudan in the government, both supporters of a unified Sudan.
Buth Diu died soon after the 1972 Peace Accord was signed in Addis Ababa, ending the First Sudanese Civil War
.
He had tried to bridge the huge gap between the south and the realities of northern politics, and often failed to satisfy either camp.
Buth Diu once said that Sudan was like an eagle with a broken wing, dragging itself along the ground, becoming weaker each day, longing to return to the freedom of the skies.
Liberal Party (Sudan)
The Liberal Party, at first called the Southern Party and later the Southern Liberal Party, was formed in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan before the Sudan became independent in January 1956....
in Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
in the years before and after independence in 1956. His party represented the interests of the southerners.
Although in favor of a federal system under which the south would have its own laws and administration, Buth Diu was not in favor of southern secession. As positions hardened during the drawn-out First Sudanese Civil War
First Sudanese Civil War
The First Sudanese Civil War was a conflict from 1955 to 1972 between the northern part of Sudan and the southern Sudan region that demanded representation and more regional autonomy...
(1955-1972) his compromise position was increasingly discredited.
Early years
Buth Diu belonged to the Nuer people.He was born in Fangak
Fangak
Fangak is a community in South Sudan. It lies in Fangak County in Jonglei state.During the Second Sudanese Civil War, Gabriel Tanginya, commander of a pro-government Nuer militia had his base in Fangak...
in Southern Sudan.
Buth Diu did not attend school, but managed to obtain a job as a houseboy of the British District Commissioner.
He taught himself English and learned to read and write and type.
With these skills, he became interpreter for the District Commissioner, an influential post.
By 1947 he was a local government official.
Southern representative
After the Second World War the mood in Britain was to give the Anglo-Egyptian SudanAnglo-Egyptian Sudan
Anglo-Egyptian Sudan referred to the manner by which Sudan was administered between 1899 and 1956, when it was a condominium of Egypt and the United Kingdom.-Union with Egypt:...
independence of both Britain and Egypt.
Buth Diu was one of the southern leaders who attended a conference held at Juba
Juba
- Locations :* Juba, the capital of South Sudan* Juba, Estonia, a village in Võru Parish, Võru County, Estonia- People :* Juba I of Numidia * Juba II of Numidia * Juba of Mauretania...
on 12-13 June 1947 to discuss the recommendations of an earlier conference held in Khartoum at which it had been decided that the south and north of Sudan should be united in one country.
Southerners were (and are) very different ethnically and culturally from the people of northern Sudan, but the rationale was that Sudan was huge but poor, and if divided both parts would be extremely weak.
No southerners had attended the Khartoum conference.
At the Juba conference, Buth Diu said that although northerners claimed they did not want to dominate the South, there must be safeguards. Northerners should not be allowed to settle on land in the south without permission, should not interfere in local government in the south and should not be allowed in law to call a southerner a slave.
However, Diu was not in favor of separation.
He said the government should select representatives from the south who would go to the North to study and to participate in legislation, finance, and administration.
He said that Arabic should be introduced into southern schools without delay so they could catch up to the north.
Buth Diu formed an "Upper Nile Political Association" in Upper Nile province.
The Governor-General of Sudan announced the formation of the Constitution Amendment Commission in March 1951. Buth Diu was the sole southerner of the commission, which had 16 northerners and three British officials including the chairman.
When the commission started work on 26 March 1951, Buth Diu called for a federal constitution.
His proposals were persistently rejected by the northern members of the commission, and he resigned in disgust.
The commission continued without southern representation.
However, the British members of the commission did insist on some safeguards in the draft constitution to protect southern interests, including a special Minister for the southern provinces and an Advisory Board for southern affairs. The northerners managed to later remove this provision.
Party leader
The Southern Sudanese Political Movement was founded in 1951 by Stanislaus PaysamaStanislaus Paysama
Stanislaus Paysama was one of the founders of the Liberal Party in Anglo-Egyptian Sudan a few years before Sudan gained independence in 1956.-Early years:...
, Abdel Rahman Sule
Abdel Rahman Sule
Abdel Rahman Sule was one of the founders of the Liberal Party, officially registered as the "Southern Party" in 1953, the main party in Southern Sudan in the years immediately before and after independence in 1956....
and Buth Diu.
As the Secretary General of the party, Buth Diu protested to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
against the agreement that had been reached by the Constitution Amendment Commission.
In 1952 the party changed its name to the Southern Party.
As of 1953 the party leaders were Benjamin Lwoki
Benjamin Lwoki
Benjamin Lwoki was a politician from South Sudan who was an early activist in the movement for autonomy or independence from Sudan.Benjamin Lwoki belonged to the Pojulu people, as did Aggrey Jaden....
, Chairman, Stanslaus Paysama, Vice Chairman, Buth Diu, Secretary General and Abdel Rahman Sule, Patron of the party.
The objectives were to work for complete independence of Sudan, with special treatment for the south.
The party was officially registered in 1953. At first it had widespread support from the southern intelligentsia and from the bulk of the people in the south of Sudan.
In 1954 the party was renamed the Liberal Party to avoid any suspicion that it was working for independence of the south, but no northerners joined.
Buth Diu toured the south in August 1954 at the expense of Sayyid 'Abd al-Rahman, patron of the Ummah Party, and in his speeches quoted the National Unionist Party (NUP) campaign promises. (The NUP had won the previous elections).
Prime minister Ismael Azhari described this as seditious talk and threatened to use force to prevent secession.
Ismael Azhari eliminated Buth Diu and Bullen Alier from his cabinet for their criticism of the policy of his government on Southern Sudan.
The Sudanese parliament was dissolved in November 1958 after a military coup by General Ibrahim Abboud
Ibrahim Abboud
El Ferik Ibrahim Abboud was a Sudanese president, general, and political figure. A career soldier, Abboud served in World War II in Eritrea and Ethiopia. In 1949, Abboud became the deputy Commander in Chief of the Sudanese military. Upon independence, Abboud became the Commander in Chief of the...
.
Later years
In November 1964, General Ibrahim Abboud returned control to an interim civilian government.In 1965 a northern-dominated government was elected led by Muhammad Ahmad Mahgoub
Muhammad Ahmad Mahgoub
Muhammad Ahmad Mahgoub was a former foreign minister, then Prime Minister, of Sudan and an important writer who has published several volumes of poetry in the Arabic language....
.
This government paid lip service to a peaceful solution to the southern problem, while waging an increasingly brutal war against the Anyanya
Anyanya
The Anyanya were a southern Sudanese separatist rebel army formed during the First Sudanese Civil War . A separate movement that rose during the Second Sudanese Civil War were, in turn, called Anyanya II...
rebels.
The Southern Front
Southern Front (Southern Sudan)
The Southern Front was a Southern Sudanese political party, from the ranks of which came the first President of the High Executive Council of the Southern Sudan Autonomous Region, Abel Alier, the first head of the autonomous government of that then Sudanese region, in 1972....
withdrew its candidates for the Supreme Council and the Cabinet, saying that the government had violated its agreement that the Southern Front would be the sole representative of the south.
The Sudan African National Union
Sudan African National Union
The Sudan African National Union is a political party formed in 1963 by William Deng Nhial and other Sudanese exiles in Uganda. In the late 1960s the party contested elections in Sudan seeking autonomy for South Sudan within a federal structure. The exile branch of the party meanwhile supported...
(SANU) had two members appointed to the cabinet, Alfred Wol Akoc and Andrew Wieu, and Buth Diu was appointed to the third seat reserved for a southerner in the cabinet.
He was given the position of Minister of Animal Resources.
The two SANU ministers resigned in protest after the Juba and Wau massacres.
Buth Diu and Philimon Majok were now the only representatives of Southern Sudan in the government, both supporters of a unified Sudan.
Buth Diu died soon after the 1972 Peace Accord was signed in Addis Ababa, ending the First Sudanese Civil War
First Sudanese Civil War
The First Sudanese Civil War was a conflict from 1955 to 1972 between the northern part of Sudan and the southern Sudan region that demanded representation and more regional autonomy...
.
He had tried to bridge the huge gap between the south and the realities of northern politics, and often failed to satisfy either camp.
Buth Diu once said that Sudan was like an eagle with a broken wing, dragging itself along the ground, becoming weaker each day, longing to return to the freedom of the skies.