The Cairo Agreement The Necessity of Understanding with Egypt The year 1952 arrived to find Sudan's political fate deeply mired in the darkness of the unknown, and the political dispute at its peak. There was no room for the independence movement to advance within the framework of the constitutional conditions prevailing at the time, except through agreement with Egypt or through positive action to seize the country's independence by unconstitutional means. B. God willed that the delegation should form the government of Naguib El-Hilali, and it desired to rid itself of the paralysis that had afflicted the Sudan issue by departing from the tradition followed by previous governments and seeking an agreement with the Sudanese independence advocates. It contacted Sayyid Imam Abd al-Rahman al-Mahdi with its desire to clear the air. The Imam responded to that desire, and the mediator in those communications was Professor Yahya Nour, the Egyptian expert in Khartoum at the time. The Sudanese Independence Delegation to Egypt The independence delegation that went to Egypt on May 27, 1952, was the fruit of this new perspective in Egyptian policy. The delegation was headed by Sayyid Abdullah al-Fadil al-Mahdi, and its members included Sayyids Muhammad Salih al-Shanqiti, Ibrahim Ahmed, Abd al-Rahman Ali Taha, Kamal Abdallah, and Babo Nimr. The Mission of the Independence Delegation in Egypt Upon the delegation's arrival in Cairo, negotiations began between the independence delegation on one hand and the government of Naguib El-Hilali on the other, with the aim of clarifying viewpoints and paving the way for Imam Abd al-Rahman's planned visit to Egypt and the endeavor to conclude a Sudanese-Egyptian agreement. On June 28, 1952, after much discussion, the Egyptian viewpoints became clear and resulted in the following: 1. The Umma Party and the Independents would agree to accept the temporary symbolic crown, the purpose of which was for Egypt to be able to appoint the Governor-General and to address the government of Sudan on various matters.