Muhammed Jaafar al- Nimeiri
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Gaafar Mohamed el- Nimeiri
(born Jan. 1, 1930, Wad Nubawi, Omdurman, Sudandied May 30, 2009, Omdurman) President of Sudan (197185). In 1969 he helped overthrow the civilian regime of Ismal al-Azhar. Nimeiri's own government was temporarily ousted in 1971, but he was returned to office following a plebiscite. In 1972 he granted autonomy to the southern region of Sudan (now South Sudan), inaugurated one of the world's largest sugar-refinery projects (1981), and sought to develop agriculture. His attempts to impose Islamic law were resisted by Christians and others in the south, which led to his fall from power. In 1985 Nimeiri was overthrown in a bloodless coup while he was in the United States. He took refuge in Egypt, where he lived in exile until his return to Sudan in 1999.
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Nimeiri or Nimeiry, Muhammed Jaafar al- (mūhäm'mäd jäfär' äl-nĭmār'ē), 1930-, Sudanese army officer and politician. Early active in the Sudanese nationalist movement, he was temporarily expelled from high school (1948) after leading a student strike against British rule. He attended military college and served in the army, where he rose to the rank of colonel. In 1969 he led a group of leftist army officers in a coup against the civilian government of Muhammad Ahmad Mahgoub. Nimeiri established himself as president and later (1972) as prime minister. In 1972, Nimeiri signed a truce with secessionist forces in S Sudan, thus ending some 17 years of civil war. Although twice reelected, his popularity waned as he supported Egyptian President Sadat's efforts for peace with Israel, opposed external alliances, and tried to impose strict Islamic law. In 1985, while abroad, he was deposed. He lived in exile in Egypt until 1999, and ran unsuccessfully for president in 2000.
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