The English step, after the battle for self-government in the Legislative Assembly, was to bring the Socialist Republican Party into existence to weaken the Umma Party and attract tribal leaders from it. The English worked openly to achieve this goal, threatening and enticing with all means of terror and persuasion. I met the Governor-General and asked him the reason for encouraging the establishment of the Socialist Republican Party. He told me frankly, "To fight the Umma Party." Mr. Hawksworth was in charge of implementing this plan under his supervision. He brought them into the new party, but they soon returned to their old party. It seems that this policy had the approval of the British government, as when I traveled to London later and mentioned to Mr. Eden, the Foreign Secretary, the open war waged by the condominium administration against the independence movement, I found that he was aware of the details of the plan and what was happening in Sudan.

I recall that the beginning of the Republican Party, as Mr. Hawksworth told me, was to be a union that defended the interests of the Nubians, as he claimed. I said, "Why don't you represent them in the Legislative Assembly? Do their interests differ from the interests of the rest of the people?"

Among the English methods in their war against the independence movement was to spread the word that the Sudanese were already practicing self-government in the Legislative Assembly, so why were they demanding it? I recall that some of their elders mentioned this opinion in a session of the Legislative Assembly.

My trip to England and my conversation with Mr. Eden The proposed constitution was sent to both condominium countries, as I said, and time passed without a response from either. I saw the necessity of contacting the officials in both countries, so I traveled to England with my son, Mr. Al-Siddiq, and Professor Abdul Rahman Ali Taha, who were responsible for translation.

I met Mr. Eden and demanded his approval of the self-government constitution and the setting of a date for full independence, as I feared that the English would prolong the period of self-government, leaving Sudan's foreign affairs in their hands. His response was: "On the day of self-government and the convening of parliament, parliament can declare Sudan's independence." I asked him to give me his government's written approval for this step, and he told me that he would announce it in the British Parliament after three days. I asked him for direct elections in all constituencies and for all segments of the people.

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