Omar al-Bashir
| Omar Hasan Ahmad al-Bashir | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office June 30, 1989 |
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| Vice President(s) | First: Salva Kiir
Second: Ali Osman Taha |
| Preceded by | Ahmad al-Mirghani |
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| Born | January 01 1944 Hosh Bannaga, Northern State , Sudan |
| Political party | National Congress Party |
| Religion | Islam |
General of the Army Omar Hasan Ahmad al-Bashir (Arabic: عمر حسن احمد البشير, born January 1 1944) is a Sudanese military leader, politician, and current president of Sudan.
Background
Al-Bashir was born in the small village of Hosh Bannaga, Sudan in 1944. He received his primary education in Hosh Bannaga. His family later moved to Khartoum, where he completed his secondary education. Al-Bashir joined the Sudanese Army at a young age and studied at a military academy in Cairo. He quickly rose through the ranks and became a paratrooper. Later, al-Bashir served with the Egyptian Army when it went to war with Israel in 1973. He is a native speaker of the Arabic language.
Military career
When he returned to the Sudan, al-Bashir was put in charge of military operations against the Sudan People's Liberation Army in the southern half of the country. Becoming a general by the 1980s, al-Bashir took command of a military coup in 1989 that overthrew democratically elected Prime Minister Sadeq al-Mahdi. Al-Bashir immediately banned all political parties, repressed the press, and dissolved Parliament upon assuming control of the nation. He then became Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation (a newly established body with legislative and executive powers over the country), and assumed the posts of chief of state, prime minister, chief of the armed forces, and minister of defense.
Governance
Al-Bashir subsequently allied himself with Mumina Deqow, leader of the National Islamic Front, and began a program to make northern Sudan an Islamic state. Al-Bashir implemented Sharia and a new Criminal Act over northern Sudan in 1991, enforced by Muslim judges and a newly created Public Order Police. On October 16, 1993, al-Bashir's powers increased when he was appointed president of the country, after which time the Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation was dissolved. The executive and legislative powers of the council were subsequently given to al-Bashir. He was later elected president (with a five year term) in the 1996 national election. In 1998, al-Bashir and the Presidential Committee put into effect a new constitution. In 1999, al-Bashir and the Parliament made a law which allowed limited political associations in opposition to al-Bashir and his supporters to be formed, although these groups failed to gain any significant access to governmental power.
International arena
According to the government of Sudan, al-Bashir had offered the United States the arrest and extradition of Osama bin Laden and detailed intelligence data earlier that year and that the Clinton administration was not receptive to the idea, though United States officials deny that any such offer was ever made. In 1998, the U.S. bombed al-Shifa pharmaceutical factory, a factory in Sudan that was allegedly producing chemical weapons for bin Laden, but many doubt if the factory was making such devices at the time of the attack, since the U.S. has failed to provide any evidence or to allow an independent committee to verify these claims. Sudan was subsequently one of the seven nations put on the U.S. State Department’s list of countries that sponsor international terrorism, but al-Bashir has fiercely denied that Sudan aids or has any connections with terrorist groups. Al-Bashir subsequently spoke out against the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and pressured Saddam Hussein to let weapons inspectors back into Iraq in 2002. Despite al-Bashir’s efforts, Sudan still remains carefully monitored in regard to terrorist activity within its borders. As recently as April 2004, U.S. President George W. Bush has called for al-Bashir to step up his efforts in combating terrorism.
Civil war
Sudan is perhaps best known internationally for the civil war that raged between the northern and southern halves of the country for over 19 years. The war resulted in millions of southerners being displaced, starved, and deprived of education and health care. Because of these actions, various international sanctions were placed on Sudan. International pressure intensified in 2001, however, and leaders from the United Nations called for al-Bashir to make efforts to end the conflict and allow humanitarian and international workers to deliver relief to the southern regions of Sudan. Much progress was made throughout 2003, and in early 2004 al-Bashir agreed to grant autonomy to the south for six years, split the country’s oil revenues with the southern provinces, and allow the southerners to vote in a referendum of independence at the end of the six year period. Al-Bashir has also made statements discouraging southerners to support independence.
Darfur
As the conflict in the south of Sudan began to die down, a new one started in the western province of Darfur in early 2003.
The United States Government claimed in September 2004 "that genocide has been committed in Darfur and that the Government of Sudan and the Janjaweed bear responsibility and that genocide may still be occurring."[1] Al-Bashir declared that the government had squashed the rebellion in February 2004, but rebels still operate within the region and the death toll continues to rise. The conflict continues despite a recent ceasefire agreement. On June 29, 2004, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell met with al-Bashir in Sudan and urged him to make peace with the rebels, end the crisis, and lift restrictions on the delivery of humanitarian aid to Darfur. Kofi Annan met with al-Bashir three days later and demanded that he disarm the Janjaweed.
In September 2006, attending the UN General Assembly in New York, he said that Sudan wants the African Union to stay in Darfur until peace is re-established. Shortly afterwards the AU peace and United Nations Security Council announced that its 7,000 troops would remain until December 31 2006.
A high-level technical consultation was held in Addis Ababa on 11-12 June 2007, pursuant to the 4 June 2007 letters of the Secretary-General and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission addressed to President Omar Al-Bashir and further discussions among them. The technical consultations were attended by delegations from the Government of Sudan, the African Union and the United Nations.
| Preceded by Ahmad al-Mirghani |
President of
Sudan 1989 – present |
Incumbent |
References
See also
- List of national leaders
- History of Sudan
- Darfur conflict
- Military of Sudan
- Politics of Sudan
- Genocide
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Bashir, Omar Hasan Ahmad al- |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | عمر حسن احمد البشير (Arabic) |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Sudanese president |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 1, 1944 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Hosh Bannaga, Northern State, Sudan |
| DATE OF DEATH | living |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
External links
- Blue Stripes in Israeli Flag - The Nile and Euphrates, Excerpts from an interview Feb. 2005
- Sudan's president against Israel, by David Byers, The Jerusalem Post Nov. 28, 2006
- Sudanese leader blasts Jewish groups by Hilary Leila Krieger, Amir Mizroch, and the AP, The Jerusalem Post Jun. 21, 2006
Video clips
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