The Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1936 and the Welfare of the Sudanese People: The Ethiopian War and the ambitions of the Deutsch in East Africa led Britain to adopt a new policy of appeasing Egypt and easing tensions. The fruit of this policy was the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1936. Regarding Sudan, the treaty brought nothing new but reaffirmed the conquest treaties of 1898-1899 and added an ambiguous clause stating that the goal of the contracting parties in administering Sudan was the welfare of the Sudanese.

My Trip to England The enlightened Sudanese public opinion was greatly disappointed after the announcement of the provisions of the 1936 agreement. I therefore decided to travel to England in 1937 to discuss the matter with the officials there. The Governor-General of Sudan was disturbed by my trip and asked me if I would object to being accompanied by one of the senior officials of the two contracting governments. I asked him whom he would nominate for this task, and he mentioned the name of Samuel Atiya. I agreed and wrote to him, and found him ready to travel. He was accompanied by members of my family: Messrs. Abdullah Al-Fadil, Yaqoub Al-Halou, Al-Fadil Bushra, and Muhammad Al-Mahdi Al-Khalifa. I stayed at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London. After I had rested, I received an invitation from the Foreign Office, through the Sudan Government Agency, to visit the Foreign Office and its minister. The Agent of the Sudan Government in London, Mr. Howell, accompanied me, and Samuel Atiya served as my interpreter. Upon entering the Foreign Minister's office, Mr. Howell was not allowed to enter with me and remained in the minister's secretary's office. Mr. Eden was in France, and Mr. Butler was representing him. Mr. Butler, in typical English fashion, began by talking to me about the London weather and similar topics. After a while, he asked me for my opinion on the 1936 treaty. I told him, "What concerns us in Sudan regarding that treaty are two points." The first is the suspended sovereignty of Sudan, and to whom does it belong? Is it for the Sudanese or for the two condominium powers?" He replied, "The word 'sovereignty' is ambiguous in meaning, and legal scholars still disagree on its definition." I realized he was evading a direct answer. He then asked me about my second point. I told him, "The word 'welfare' is also ambiguous in meaning. What I know is that there are two types of welfare: animal welfare, which does not go beyond eating and drinking, and human welfare, which is freedom." Mr. Butler then said to me, "I am the one who put 'welfare' in the treaty, not Mr. Eden." He then asked me, "Do I know him since 1910?" I replied, "I have known him since 1910." He said he would invite the Governor-General to dinner. When I returned to Khartoum, I met the Governor-General, who told me that he had discussed the phrase