Once the ban was lifted in 1964, the party was able to mobilize the educated sector of the eastern Sudan and successfully participated in the 1965 parliamentary elections, with several of its activists winning seats in the constituent assembly.

The Congress won only one seat in that election, losing to a resurgent Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which subsequently participated in the Sadiq al-Mahdi-led coalition government of 1986–1989.

By itself the Beja Congress held territory around Tokar, one of their historic strongholds, and the town of Khor Telkok near Kassala, which the NDA had declared to be their "capital".

[4] Politically the Beja Congress was far more effective, capitalizing on two different incidents in January 2005 where Sudanese security attacked and killed unarmed civilians.

Young observes, "Beja resentment and support for the BC is clear to anyone spending just a short time in the coffee shops of Port Sudan.

In making this Agreement, many members of the Eastern Front negotiating team in Asmara are reported to have not been enthusiastic at the final language, and only signed the document because they felt that they had few viable alternatives.