The Southern Sudan Autonomous Region was an autonomous region that existed in Southern 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...

 between 1972 and 1983. It was established on 28 February 1972 by the Addis Ababa Agreement which ended 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...

. The region was abolished on 5 June 1983 by the administration of Sudanese President Gaafar Nimeiry

Gaafar Nimeiry

Gaafar Muhammad an-Nimeiry was the Nubian President of Sudan from 1969 to 1985...

. Revocation of southern autonomy was a cause of the Second Sudanese Civil War

Second Sudanese Civil War

The Second Sudanese Civil War started in 1983, although it was largely a continuation of the First Sudanese Civil War of 1955 to 1972. Although it originated in southern Sudan, the civil war spread to the Nuba mountains and Blue Nile by the end of the 1980s....

 which would continue until January 2005, when southern autonomy was restored.

Structure of the autonomous region

The region was governed by a High Executive Council which was led by a President of the High Executive Council. Abel Alier

Abel Alier

Abel Alier Kwai is a South Sudanese politician who is currently in his 70s . After Sudan gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1956, Southern Sudan was not left as an independent state. This led to a deadly war a year before the independence. A party in the war was Anyanya 1 Under Joseph...

 was the first President, holding that post between 1972 and 1978.

Legislative authority was vested in a People's Regional Assembly.

The autonomous region consisted of the three provinces

States of Sudan

Below is a list of the 15 states of Sudan, organized by their original provinces during the period of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. Arabic language versions are, as appropriate, in parentheses. States that were not provinces before 1994 are marked with . Transliterations from Arabic to English may vary;...

 of Equatoria

Equatoria

Equatoria is a region in the south of present-day South Sudan along the upper reaches of the White Nile. Originally a province of Egypt, it also contained most of Northern part of present day Uganda including Albert Lake...

, Bahr al-Ghazal, and Greater Upper Nile. Juba was the regional capital.

Presidents of the High Executive Council

Tenure	Incumbent	Party
6 April 1972 – February 1978	Abel Alier Abel Alier Abel Alier Kwai is a South Sudanese politician who is currently in his 70s . After Sudan gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1956, Southern Sudan was not left as an independent state. This led to a deadly war a year before the independence. A party in the war was Anyanya 1 Under Joseph...	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....
February 1978 – 12 July 1979	Joseph Lagu Joseph Lagu Joseph Lagu is a South Sudanese military man and politician...	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...
12 July 1979 – 30 May 1980	Peter Gatkuoth Peter Gatkuoth Peter Gatkuoth was a South Sudanese politician. Gatkuoth was the third president of the High Executive Council of the Southern Sudan Autonomous Region‎, serving from 12 July 1979 to 30 May 1980....
30 May 1980 – 5 October 1981	Abel Alier Abel Alier Abel Alier Kwai is a South Sudanese politician who is currently in his 70s . After Sudan gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1956, Southern Sudan was not left as an independent state. This led to a deadly war a year before the independence. A party in the war was Anyanya 1 Under Joseph...	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....
5 October 1981 – 23 June 1982	Gismalla Abdalla Rassas Gismalla Abdalla Rassas Gismalla Abdalla Rassas, a South Sudanese politician and member of the Southern Sudan Liberation Movement, was the penultimate president of the High Executive Council of the Southern Sudan Autonomous Region‎, serving from 5 October, 1981 to 23 June, 1982. He was succeeded by Joseph James Tombura....	Southern Sudan Liberation Movement
23 June 1982 – 5 June 1983	Joseph James Tombura Joseph James Tombura Joseph James Tombura, a South Sudanese politician and member of the Sudan African National Union, was president of the High Executive Council of the Southern Sudan Autonomous Region‎, serving from 23 June 1982 to 5 June 1983, until the Sudanese central government revoked the autonomy of that region...	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...

Post-abolition

The Southern Sudan Autonomous Region was abolished in 1983. Between 1987 and 1989 a Council for the South existed in Southern Sudan. Following the signing of the Khartoum Peace Agreement of 1997

Khartoum Peace Agreement of 1997

The Khartoum Peace Agreement of 1997 was an agreement made on 21 April 1997 between the Khartoum-based government of Sudan and various militia leaders from South Sudan during the Second Sudanese Civil War ....

, a Southern Sudan Coordination Council was established initially led by Riek Machar

Riek Machar

Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon , is the first vice-president of the independent Republic of South Sudan.Riek Machar obtained a PhD in mechanical engineering in 1984 and then joined the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army during the Second Sudanese Civil War...

 who was also appointed Assistant to the President of the Republic. This body was abolished in 2005 when the autonomous Government of Southern Sudan was established.

See also

• South Sudan
  South Sudan
  South Sudan , officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country located in the Sahel region of northeastern Africa. It is also part of the North Africa UN sub-region. Its current capital is Juba, which is also its largest city; the capital city is planned to be moved to the more...
  
  
• Comprehensive Peace Agreement
  Comprehensive Peace Agreement
  The Comprehensive Peace Agreement , also known as the Naivasha Agreement, was a set of agreements culminating in January 2005 that were signed between the Sudan People's Liberation Movement and the Government of Sudan...
  
  
• Government of Southern Sudan (2005–2011)
  Government of Southern Sudan (2005–2011)
  The Government of Southern Sudan, was an autonomous government that administered the ten southern states of Sudan between its formation in July 2005 and independence as the Republic of South Sudan in July 2011. The autonomous government was initially established in Rumbek and later moved to Juba...
  
  , the autonomous government that existed between 2005 and independence in 2011
• Southern Sudanese independence referendum, 2011
  Southern Sudanese independence referendum, 2011
  A referendum took place in Southern Sudan from 9 to 15 January 2011, on whether the region should remain a part of Sudan or become independent. The referendum was one of the consequences of the 2005 Naivasha Agreement between the Khartoum central government and the Sudan People's Liberation...