User:Harrira2/White Flag League

The White Flag League (also known as the White Flag Association, White Flag Society, or the White Brigade Movement) was an organized nationalist resistance movement of Sudanese military officers, formed in 1923–24, which made a substantial early attempt toward Sudanese independence.[1]

The League was founded by Lieutenant Ali Abdullatif and Abdullah Khalil. It advocated for "Unity of the Nile Valley," calling for Sudanese independence and unity with Egypt, and pledging allegiance to King Fuad.[2]

First lieutenant Abdul Fadil Almaz led the group's insurrection at the military training academy in 1924, which ended in their defeat and Almaz's death after the British army blew up the military hospital where he was garrisoned. It has been suggested that this defeat was partially the result of the Egyptian garrison in Khartoum North not supporting the insurrection with artillery as was previously promised.[3] --- Movement Formation

The White Flag League was created in response to political negotiations that would dissolve the Condominium, established in 1899 and controlled by Egypt and Great Britain, under which Sudan was administrated. The League's primary goal was to support unification of Sudan with Egypt and an end to British colonial rule through independence. The Sudan Committee, a committee created in the Egyptian Parliament to negotiate the status of Sudan after Egypt gained its independence from Britain in 1922, began to seek out petitions from Sudanese people in support of unity between Egypt and Sudan. The founders of the White Flag League were Ali Abd al-Latif, Ubayd al-Hajj al-Amin, Salih Abd al-Qadir, Hassan Sharif, and Hassan Salih. The founders and supporters of the movement had both Sudanese and Egyptian origins. Merchants, artisans, soldiers, and petty bureaucrats formed the base of support for the movement in Egypt and Sudan.

1924 Revolution

The White Flag League was part of the civil unrest, protests, and subsequent revolution that occurred in Sudan during 1924. The movement was accused of having a communist bent. The White Flag League's campaign first began with a telegram, which was sent to the General Governor of the Sudan that stated the movement's opposition to British colonial control and administration in the Sudan. The telegram expressed the sentiment of the League, which was that the people of Sudan have the right to choose their government.

Leading up to the 1924 Revolution, various secret organizations emerged between 1921 and 1923 that supported the unity of Egypt and Sudan, independent of British colonial rule. One of those organizations, the Sudan Union, was the predecessor of the White Flag League. The White Flag League adopted a program that would insist upon open and direct opposition of Britain and its colonial rule and influence in both Egypt and the Sudan. This program took the form of weekly protests in cities such as Khartoum and Omdurman as well as the establishment of branches of the League in various provinces around the Sudanese capital.

The White Flag League ultimately failed in its attempt to dislodge British rule from the Sudan when Egyptian troops stationed in the Sudan reneged on their promise to support Sudanese rebels.