was then at his zenith, and the Soviet bureaucracy could still sow illusions about his revolutionary role in the Middle East, whereas today, throughout the Arab world, the petty-bourgeoisie flounders in its contradictions and its "agonising reappraisals, The events of September 1970 in Amman brought out what united Nasser and Hussein and not what differentiated them, as well as proving the solution to the problems of the Arab world, How then did the C.P. respond to Nemeiry's bloody witch-hunt? After the butcher's February speech, the regime began to round up Communist militants, aided by an been head of the C.P.'s clandestine apparatus, and who supplied the regime with long lists of C.P. members and sympathisers. The top cadres were imprisoned; those Party activists despatched to the South to organise a separatist movement were either arrested or deported to the North; A vast purge of the police force, the army, and the state apparatus was likewise undertaken.
THE PURGE IS PREPARED Then, on May 26th, Nemeiry announced the dissolution of the CGT and of all trade unions, peasant leagues, women's organisations, professional, cultural, tribal, and even charltable federations in which the C.P. had influence. Ibrahim was to set up a new trade union organisation, run on corpo Fate lines and henceforth there was to be only one partythe Sudanese Socialist Union.
THE COUP AND COUNTER-COUP The C.P. leadership, out of sheer desperation, instructed its members in the Army hierarchy to launch the now famous coup of July 19th. But the new regime, which came to of the C.P., the C.G.T. and the Party's other front organisa. tions, ranewed the time-worn call for an alliance of all "national democrats, patriotic intellectuals, national capitalists " etc, and vigorously denied all allegations of a "communist Sudan". Notwithstanding its limitations, the men ruling group was an advance on Nemeiry's regime in many respects: it would have served the C.P. from destruc tion and thus helped to stimulate left-wing opposition to the other Arab regimes, as well as provoking crises within the Arsb C.P.s, particularly those under liquidationist "leadership"; It would perhaps have entailed a drive against the widespread corruption in the Sudan and a marginal improvement in workers" living standards: and it would undoubtedly have accentuated the contradictions of the Egyptian, Syrian, and Libyan regimes, which helps to culminating in the restoration of Nemeiry on July 22nd. The success of Hachem El Atta and his colleagues proved they enjoyed. Disaster could in fact have been averted had the insurgents taken the necessery repressive measures against their enemies, hed they, instead of limiting themstate and, finally, had they not fatally ignored the dangers of a foreign intervention and thus failed to arm their supporters against such an eventuality. They mistakenly believed that a little Soviet pressure on Egypt and Libya would avert that particular menaos, whereas we know from incapacity of the petty bourgeoisie to supply a revolutionary ignoble creature named Moawya Ibrahim, who had previously unconvincing. power without resistance, although it decreed the legalisation explain their hysterical reaction and their frenetic scheming.
Popular Frontism.
thus to be short-lived, despite the widespread support which selves to organising a few symbolic demonstrations, made a serious effort to mobilise the masses to smash the bourgeois domestic affairs.
IMG MILITANTS (TOP) WIO CARRIED OUT A TOKEN OCCUPATION OF THE SUDANESE EMBASSY ON THE DAY OF MAHJOUB'S EXECUTION WERE EJECTED BY THE POLICE (BELOW)
WHO PLACED A 24-HOUR GUARD ON THE EMBASSY. NO ARRESTS WERE MADE.
"fraternal Parties", Moscow has no hesitation in plumping a quarrel with their good friends in Cairo. That is why the Soviet bureaucracy maintained a criminal silence for the first week after Nemeiry's return to power, even though their own "comrades" were being shot down in cold blood; that is why they invited Traqi fascists, personally responsible for the murder and torture of Communist militants, to the re-establishing amicable relations with Nemeiry; and that is why their mild verbal titterings are, to say the least, rather Those other staunch defenders of the cause of socialism and revolution, Peking's "new Mandarins", have lost no again shown the extent of its commitment to the "status quo"". Unfortunately for them, Russian tanks have till now pulled more weight in the eyes of the Arab ruling class than sycophantic articles in Peking Review, but the Maoists have been quick to take advantage of the Kremlin's difficulties to step into the breach. Just as in Ceylon a few months back, an unholy alliance of reactionary forces, stretching from Kadhafi, the "revolutionary nationalist", through Haile Selassie, the well-known "anti-imperialist" Emperor, to the Zionist leaders of Israel now rejoices at the defeat of the C.P. coup and the consolidation of Nereiry's Bonapar tist regime. Hassan and Hussain can breathe once more their demise is postponed a little longer-while Sadat now has a free hand to begin his own purge against "crypto Communists" or "pro-Soviet" elements of the state capita list ruling clique in Egypt.
But their joy will turn to tears, for new revolutionary organisations will spring up in Sudan and throughout the Arab world which, having learnt the lessons of past defeats, will refuse to subordinate the class struggle to the zigzags of Soviet foreign policy, will reject the Stalinist nonsense about "national fronts" and "non-capitalist roads of development" which can lead only to disastor, and witl liberate the Arab world from the three-pronged hydra of Zionism, imperialism and Arab reaction Meanwhile it is urgently necessary to campaign for the release of those Communists languishing in Nemeiry's dungeons, and for an end to the repression in Sudan, whilst continuing to expose Moscow's treacherous doubledealing and pointing out the tragic consequences of Stalinist Hands off the Sudanese Communists!
Long live the Arab Socialist Revolution!
-A. S7S1 In this respect it is interesting to note the arcaration pr Usmar Hashim-Sudanese Ambossador to Frano -at a press conferenoe he ame in caris on July 2od *We have excellent calations with the USSR, and these will *We do not think that the Soviets have intervened in the Sudan's "The olestion si friendly relations betwcon the Arati countra and the Sovist Union is one thing, but the question of Communists Inside the grab countries s quite son, want or excra
----- pull-quotes -----
for the former. * For these gentlemen, Arab Stalinism is strictly expendable and certainly not a matter which merits
last Congress of the CPSU; that is why they have succeeded admirably in "overcoming the temporary difficulties" and
time in expressing their support for ... Nemeiry. The Chinese buresucracy, grown respectable and responsible, has once