Britain and Egypt agree on independence for Sudan.

Date: 3 Dec 1959
Updated: 30 Sep 2019

Britain and Egypt agree on independence for Sudan following years of colonial rule. The tale of these two countries’ rule over Sudan dates back the 19th century. In 1823, Egyptians founded Khartoum as their headquarters and developed Sudan's trade in ivory and slaves, while in the 1890s the British decided to gain control of Sudan. Following a series of campaigns between 1896 and 1898, an Anglo-Egyptian force under Herbert Kitchener destroyed the power of the Mahdists. Subsequently, agreements in 1899 established the condominium government of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. In 1930, the British Civil Secretary in Khartoum declared the "Southern Policy," officially stating that the north and south, because of their many cultural and religious differences, were to be governed as two separate regions.

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How we know this

01Boddy-Evans A. ‘This Day in African History: 3 December’, from About African History. Com, [online], available at www.africanhistory.about.com(Accessed: 24 October 2012)
02Water for South Sudan, ‘A brief history of modern Sudan and South Sudan’, [online], available at https://www.waterforsouthsudan.org(Accessed: 24 October 2012)
03Fact Monster.com, ‘Early History’, [online], available at https://www.factmonster.com(Accessed: 24 October 2012)

Last updated · 30 Sep 2019

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2011, December 5). Britain and Egypt agree on independence for Sudan.. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0070624

South African History Online (2011) 'Britain and Egypt agree on independence for Sudan.', South African History Online, 5 December. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0070624 (Accessed: 28 July 2026).

South African History Online, Britain and Egypt agree on independence for Sudan. [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0070624, (accessed 28 July 2026).

"Britain and Egypt agree on independence for Sudan.." South African History Online, 5 Dec. 2011, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0070624. Accessed 28 July 2026.

South African History Online. "Britain and Egypt agree on independence for Sudan.." South African History Online. December 5, 2011. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0070624.