ABSTRACT
From the end of 1964 until May 1969, Sudan experienced a multi-party democracy and pursued a moderate international policy vis-à-vis the superpowers, Arab and African countries. Hence the Sudan earned international respect and it was called upon to mediate in difficult political problems within Arab and African countries. The economy was flourishing; the country received aid from countries with varied political persuasions; and when the civilian government came to an end in 1969 the country had a small surplus of foreign exchange. However, these achievements quickly evaporated when the army took over power in May 1969, for the second time since independence, in a takeover which became popularly known as the May Revolution. Until then the problem of civil war in the south, which started in the early 1950s, had remained the major preoccupation of successive governments since independence in 1956.
