Editing Gaafar Nimeiry (section)

===Early years in power and socialist reforms===
{{Main|1969 Sudanese coup d'état}}
[[File:Nimeiry, Nasser and Gaddafi, 1969.jpg|thumb|Nimeiry, [[Gamal Abdel Nasser|Nasser]] and [[Muammar Gaddafi|Gaddafi]] in Tripoli, 1969|left]]
On 25 May 1969, together with four other officers, Colonel Nimeiry, commanding the [[Khartoum]] Garrison, [[1969 Sudanese coup d'état|overthrew]] the civilian government of [[Ismail al-Azhari]], his coup being termed the "May Revolution". He created and chaired the [[National Revolutionary Command Council (Sudan)|Revolutionary Command Council]] (RCC). [[Edgar O'Ballance]], writing in 1977, said that the 14 seniormost officers of the [[Sudanese Armed Forces]] were all out of the country at the time "either on official or private visits," so the "time chosen was opportune."{{sfn|OBallance|1977|p=103}} On 26 May, he suspended the constitution, dissolved the Supreme Council, the National Assembly, and the Civil Service Commission, and ordered that all political parties disband. That day he also promoted himself to major-general, retired 22 serving officers, mostly senior to himself, dismissed over 30, and appointed 14 new officers to the most important posts.{{sfn|OBallance|1977|p=104}}

Nimeiry became [[prime minister]] later, on 26 October 1969. He started a campaign aimed at reforming Sudan's economy through nationalization of banks and industries as well as some land reforms. He used his position to enact a number of [[socialist]] and [[Pan-Arabism|Pan-Arabist]] reforms.

In March–April 1970 Nimeiry ordered an aerial bombardment on [[Aba Island]] which killed several thousand [[Ansar (Sudan)|Ansar]], who were associated with the [[Umma Party (Sudan)|Umma Party]] which opposed him.<ref name=childress>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cnpwjPcI0UQC&q=Aba&pg=PA40|title=Omar Al-Bashir's Sudan|author=Diana Childress|year=2010|publisher=Twenty-First Century Books|isbn=978-0-8225-9096-5|page=40|access-date=13 February 2011}}</ref> O'Ballance writes that about 4,000 troops, plus tanks, stormed Aba Island on 30 March, supported by aircraft.{{sfn|OBallance|1977|p=107}}

Later in 1971, he was elected President winning a referendum with 98.6 per cent of the votes. He then dissolved the RCC and founded the [[Sudanese Socialist Union]]<ref name=jessup/> which he declared to be the only legal political organization.<ref name=childress/> In 1972 he signed the [[Addis Ababa Agreement (1972)|Addis Ababa Agreement]] whereby autonomy was granted to the non-Muslim [[Southern Sudan Autonomous Region (1972–1983)|southern region of Sudan]], which ended the [[First Sudanese Civil War]] and ushered in an 11-year period of peace and stability to the region. In 1973 he drafted a [[1973 Constitution of Sudan|new constitution]] which declared Sudan to be a democratic, socialist state and gave considerable power to the office of President.<ref name=childress/>