The Anyanya war began in 1955 in Torit  town. This paper is aimed at investigating the history of Regional Government in Southern Sudan 1972-1983. The Addis Ababa Agreement was short lived from 1972 – 1982.  The opportunities for confidence building and equality were lost.  There was over concentration and interference from the Central government.  The nomination and appointments were dictated by the Central Government in violation of the Agreement. There was also a lack of a democratically elected Regional Government and institutions, accountability and monitoring.  No key development projects were initiated and the poor infrastructure led to marginalization of Southern Sudan. The author will define Regional Autonomy and explain return of refugees and attempts of economic development in the South. Also, the politics of the Regional Government in Southern Sudan will be reviewed. The researcher will try to discuss the first, the second and the third Regional Governments from 1972-1981, which will be the focus on by descriptive methods. The study will also consider the crisis over oil and Sharia law. The study will look at the failure of the Regional Government and demonstrate decentralization policy in the South at that time. The author has depended mostly on secondary sources by description and explanation and compared and contrasted methods. Some Journal of African History and a period magazine have been consulted. It is a mixed method used by the author.

Keywords: Southern Sudan, Regional Government, Addis Ababa Agreement (1972), Regional Autonomy, Central Government Interference, Decentralization Policy, Political Governance.