Avadalla, Babiker

Born Mar. 2, 1917, in Geteina. Sudanese political and public figure; jurist by profession.

During 1954–56, Avadalla was speaker of the first Sudanese parliament. From 1956 to November 1958 he was a judge, later becoming a member of the Supreme Court of Sudan. In November 1958, after the establishment of the military regime of General Abboud, he was removed from the Supreme Court. In October 1964, Avadalla participated actively in the revolutionary events which led to the overthrow of General Abboud’s regime. He was chief justice of the Supreme Court from December 1964 to 1966. The court, under his direction, designated as illegal the decision of the Constituent Assembly of Sudan (December 1965) banning the Sudanese Communist Party. Avadalla retired after the Supreme State Council ignored the Supreme Court’s decision on this matter. On May 25, 1969, after a new revolutionary government came to power, Avadalla became prime minister and minister of foreign affairs of the Democratic Republic of Sudan. (He was head of the government until Oct. 28, 1969.) From October 1969 to July 1970 he served as deputy chairman of the Revolutionary Council and minister of foreign affairs. From October 1971 to May 1972 he was vice-president. Avadalla has been living in retirement in Cairo since May 14, 1972.