ABSTRACT
The administration of the Sudan emerged out of a military conquest. The British officers became administrators, and constituted the higher echelon of the country’s central and provincial government until after the First World War. The necessity of including civilians in the administration was brought home to the Sudan government by the Boer War. The lower echelons of the Sudan administration were staffed by Egyptian, Lebanese and Sudanese officials, with a sprinkling of Greeks, Maltese and other nationalities added for good measure. Most of the officials of the education and legal departments had to be recruited from Egyptian civilians. The rapid growth of education, however, had its hazards. There were many parents who regarded education as a guarantee of a government post for their children. The British community in Khartoum was on the whole a rather exclusive society. The British officers had their own club and preferred the company of their fellow-countrymen to that of the Sudanese or Egyptian officials.
