Sudan, Libya and the Gulf: Quieter Transfers

Not every Middle Eastern or North African transfer involved a war with the colonial power. Libya, an Italian colony until World War II, was placed under British and French administration; the UN decided in 1949 that it should become independent, and it did on 24 December 1951 as a kingdom under Idris. Sudan, ruled as an Anglo-Egyptian condominium, chose independence over union with Egypt and became independent on 1 January 1956, but a mutiny in the south in 1955 began a civil war rooted in neglect of the south under colonial rule.

In the Gulf, small states had been British protectorates. Kuwait ended its protection treaty in 1961. In 1968, facing economic pressure, Britain's Labour government announced it would withdraw its forces 'east of Suez' by the end of 1971. Bahrain and Qatar became independent in 1971, and six emirates formed the United Arab Emirates in December 1971, with a seventh joining in 1972. These cases show the variety of paths to independence.