Omar Adeel
{{Short description|Sudanese civil servant (1923–1976)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name =
| native_name = عمر عديل
| native_name_lang = ar
| image = Omar Adeel.jpg
| office1 = Permanent Representatives of Sudan to the United Nations
| predecessor1 = Office established
| president1 = Sovereignty Council
Ibrahim Abboud
Sovereignty Council
| successor1 = Fakhreddine Mohamed
| termstart1 = 30 July 1957
| termend1 = September 1965
| primeminister1 = Ismail al-Azhari
Abdallah Khalil
Sirr Al-Khatim Al-Khalifa (acting)
Muhammad Ahmad Mahgoub
| birth_date = 21 July 1923
| birth_place = Dongola, Northern State, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan
| alma_mater = Gordon Memorial College
University of Exeter
University of London
| death_date = {{death year and age|1976|1923}}
| caption = Adeel in February 1962 at the UN HQ in New York{{Cite web |title=From Police Work to Diplomacy - Omar Adeel, 38-year-old former Scotland Yard detective who now heads Sudan's mission to United Nations, poses by U.N. flag at headquarters in New York City. Adeel, a key member of the powerful Asian-African bloc, has become one of the top delegates at the world organization. |url=https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth:q811pn015 |access-date=2025-05-04 |website=Digital Common Wealth |language=en}}
}}
Omar Abdel Hameed Adeel ({{Langx|ar|عمر عبد الحميد عديل}}, 21 July 1923 – 1976) was a Sudanese civil servant and diplomat. He is the inaugural Permanent Representatives of Sudan to the United Nations.
Biography
= Early life =
Adeel was born on 21 July 1923,{{Cite book |author-link=Albert Nelson Marquis |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Who_s_who_in_America/pOzWUK3hhWAC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=Omar+Abdel+Hameed+Adeel+-site:wikipedia.org+-site:wikimedia.org&dq=Omar+Abdel+Hameed+Adeel+-site:wikipedia.org+-site:wikimedia.org&printsec=frontcover |title=Who's who in America |date=1962 |publisher=A.N. Marquis |language=en}} in Baja village near Dongola, Northern State during the Anglo-Egyptian occupation of Sudan.{{Cite web |title=مناقشة كتاب السيد السفير/ جمال محمد إبراهيم بعنوان “عمر عديل .. من نبلاء الدبلوماسية السودانية” |url=https://ecfa-egypt.org/2024/03/27/%D9%85%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%82%D8%B4%D8%A9-%D9%83%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D8%AC%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84-%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF-%D8%A5%D8%A8%D8%B1/?lang=ar |access-date=2025-05-03 |language=ar}} He completed high school in Atbara, then moved to Khartoum to attend Gordon Memorial College but left after completing his second year.
= Career =
Adeel sat for the civil service exam. He worked as a writer in the Sudanese Railways Department (1942 – 1943), the Sudan Defence Force (1943 – 1945), the Customs Department (1945 – 1947), then the Police Department (1948 – 1956).{{Cite news |last=Abushouk |first=Ahmed Ibrahim |title=السفير عُمَر عبد الحميد عَدِيْل «من نبلاء الدبلوماسية السُّودانية» |url=https://almadayinpost.com/16030.html |work=المدائن}}
While working with the Police Department, Adeel completed a diploma in Law at the University of Exeter, followed by a bachelor degree in Law at the University of London. Between 1954 and 1956, he was part of the transitional team working between the Governor-General of the Sudan government and the Sudanese interim-government.
Adeel became the Sudanese ambassador to Italy after Sudan independence in 1956. On 30 July 1957, Adeel became the inaugural Permanent Representatives of Sudan to the United Nations,{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ncsSAAAAIAAJ&q=%22Permanent+Representative+of+Sudan+to+the+United+Nations%22+-wikipedia |title=Chronicle of United Nations Activities |date=1958 |publisher=Hasid Publishing Company |language=en}} where he became a member of the Asian-African block in the UN. In 1962, he was elected unanimously as the chairman of the UN General Assembly's political committee.{{Cite web |title=NewspaperSG - The Straits Times, 21 September 1962 |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/issue/straitstimes19620921-1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801022633/https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/issue/straitstimes19620921-1 |archive-date=2023-08-01 |access-date=2025-05-04 |website=eresources.nlb.gov.sg |language=en |url-status=live }}{{Cite journal |date=1962-09-19 |title=Omar Abdel Hameed Adeel Elected Chairman of First Committee |url=https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/3834977?ln=en |journal=UN |language=en}}
In 1964, Adeel was one of three candidates for the 19th president of the United Nations General Assembly.{{Cite news |date=1964-09-09 |title=U.N. Presidency Unsettled |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/09/09/archives/un-presidency-unsettled.html |access-date=2025-05-04 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite book |last=Affairs |first=Canada Department of External |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/External_Affairs/pv7K9NwDkFAC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=Omar+Adeel+-site:wikipedia.org+-site:wikimedia.org&dq=Omar+Adeel+-site:wikipedia.org+-site:wikimedia.org&printsec=frontcover |title=External Affairs |date=1964 |publisher=The Department |language=en}} Alex Quaison-Sackey was elected, earning 18 out of 33 votes, to become the first black African to occupy that position.{{Cite web |title=Past Presidents |url=https://www.un.org/en/ga/president/index.shtml |access-date=7 March 2022 |website=General Assembly of the United Nations}}{{Cite news |date=1964-12-01 |title=Man in the News; Debonair Diplomat; Alex Quaison‐Sackey |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/12/01/archives/man-in-the-news-debonair-diplomat-alex-quaisonsackey.html |access-date=2025-05-04 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} In December 1964 and following the October 1964 Revolution in Sudan,{{Cite web |last=Ibrahim |first=Jamal Mohamed |date=2023-09-07 |title=السّـودانُ بلد تذبحَـهُ الخُـطـطُ السّـوداء |url=https://www.alaraby.co.uk/opinion/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%91%D9%80%D9%88%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8F-%D8%A8%D9%84%D8%AF-%D8%AA%D8%B0%D8%A8%D8%AD%D9%8E%D9%80%D9%87%D9%8F-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AE%D9%8F%D9%80%D8%B7%D9%80%D8%B7%D9%8F-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%91%D9%80%D9%88%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%A1?amp |website=Alaraby}} he was replaced by Fakhreddine Mohamed as the Permanent Representatives of Sudan to the United Nations.{{Cite book |last=Nations |first=United |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ThiBtulAHYIC&q=%22Permanent+Representative+of+Sudan+to+the+United+Nations%22+-wikipedia |title=Delegations to the General Assembly: (1965-1967) |date=1965 |publisher=UN |language=en |access-date=2023-07-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707130010/https://books.google.com/books?id=ThiBtulAHYIC&newbks=0&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22Permanent+Representative+of+Sudan+to+the+United+Nations%22+-wikipedia&q=%22Permanent+Representative+of+Sudan+to+the+United+Nations%22+-wikipedia&hl=en |archive-date=2023-07-07 |url-status=live}}{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QMK3AAAAIAAJ&q=%22Ahmed+Mohammed+Yassin%22+-wikipedia |title=ARR: Arab Report and Record |date=1969 |publisher=Economic Features, Limited |language=en}}
In 1965, Adeel served as one of the UN observers for the 1965 Cook Islands general election.{{Cite web |last=Taonga |first=New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu |title=UN observers at Cook Islands elections, 1965 |url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/34300/un-observers-at-cook-islands-elections-1965 |access-date=2025-05-04 |website=TE ARA |language=en}}{{Cite book |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/New_Zealand_Foreign_Affairs_Review/U1IgAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Omar+Adeel%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA25&printsec=frontcover |title=New Zealand Foreign Affairs Review |date=1972 |publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs |pages=25 |language=en}}{{Cite book |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Publication/GM8fAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=Omar+Adeel+-site:wikipedia.org+-site:wikimedia.org&dq=Omar+Adeel+-site:wikipedia.org+-site:wikimedia.org&printsec=frontcover |title=Publication |date=1964 |publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs |language=en}} In 1966, he was appointed the UN representative on the "Aden question",{{Cite book |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Kuwait/ufvg9-5uz-EC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Omar+Adeel%22+-wikipedia&pg=PP95&printsec=frontcover |title=Kuwait |date=1964 |publisher=Permanent Mission of the State of Kuwait to the United Nations. |language=en}} which referred to the issue of the decolonisation of the British colony of Aden, including the Eastern and Western Aden Protectorates, and surrounding islands, and its future status.{{Cite book |last=Jensen |first=Erik |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_United_Kingdom_The_United_Nations/3zWuCwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Omar+Adeel+-site:wikipedia.org+-site:wikimedia.org&pg=PA104&printsec=frontcover |title=The United Kingdom — The United Nations |date=1990-06-18 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-349-11374-3 |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Aden - Hansard - UK Parliament |url=https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/1966-06-20/debates/4a28cf41-ed57-40a7-a3af-074bfb72f2af/Aden |access-date=2025-05-04 |website=hansard.parliament.uk |language=en}}
In 1974, he became the Resident Representative of the UN Development Programme in Iraq.{{Cite book |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Economic_Review_of_the_Arab_World/1rcMAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=Omar+Adeel+1976+-wikipedia&dq=Omar+Adeel+1976+-wikipedia&printsec=frontcover |title=Economic Review of the Arab World |date=1974 |publisher=Bureau of Lebanese and Arab Documentations. |language=en}} There, he became a close friend to Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr, President of Iraq from 1968 to 1979.{{Cite book |last=Khālid |first=Manṣūr |author-link=Mansour Khalid |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Nimeiri_and_the_Revolution_of_Dis_May/fKJyAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22Omar+Adeel%22+-wikipedia&dq=%22Omar+Adeel%22+-wikipedia&printsec=frontcover |title=Nimeiri and the Revolution of Dis-May |date=1985 |publisher=KPI |isbn=978-0-7103-0111-6 |language=en}}
= Personal life and death =
In 1972, Adeel was accused by a New York woman of fathering her child and demanded financial support. Adeel invoked diplomatic immunity, leading to the case's dismissal.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Gjz-5lK0lw0C&newbks=0&printsec=frontcover&pg=RA5-PA9&dq=%22Omar+Adeel%22+-wikipedia&hl=en&source=newbks_fb&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=%22Omar%20Adeel%22%20-wikipedia&f=false |title=AF Press Clips |date=1972 |publisher=Bureau of African Affairs, Department of State, U.S.A. |language=en}}
Awards and honours
Adeel received the Grand Cross of Order of St. Sylvester, the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, and the grand officer of the Order of Menelik II.