Leader of Sudan
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Such remarks could be seen as outlining Bashir's attitude towards the ongoing civil war in the country between the government and the southern-based Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A).
Bashir has banned numerous international humanitarian organizations from working inside Sudan claiming that they are western spies. Only national humanitarian organizations are allowed to function in affected areas, but also with limitations on their movements.
While the situation worsens in areas like Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile, Bashir has been blamed by various international observers to have been turning a blind eye towards the plight of the civilians and continuing a military campaign against targeted populations.
Leader of Sudan
Ahmed Hassan Omar Al Bashir (1944- )
Position: President, Republic of Sudan
Party: National Congress Party (NCP)
Origins: Arab, Ja'alin tribe
Becoming a president
Omar Al Bashir became the head of Sudan in 1989 after
staging a bloodless, Islamic-backed military coup against the then
democratic government. He went on to assume the president's office in
1993. Since then, Bashir has been governing Sudan despite facing
widespread condemnation from the international community for human
rights abuse in Darfur and other regions of the country.
Al Bashir joined the Sudanese military in 1960 and
attended military school in Cairo and Khartoum. He climbed up the
military ranks at an alarming pace. With his notable leadership skills
he was able to organize a mutiny against the governing prime minister
Sadiq al-Mahdi in 1989. Soon after, Bashir declared emergency in the
country and has since imposed Sharia law.
Under the emergency laws, Bashir banned all opposition
parties and severely punished any dissenting voice. Journalists and
activists were systematically targeted for speaking out and the
situation continues to remain the same.
Bashir was elected as president again in 1996 after
national elections in which he was the only candidate allowed to run for
the office as per the election laws. After victory in the elections, he
allowed some opposition political parties to be formed legitimately.
Internal conflict
Bashir's rivalry with Hassan al-Turabi, a radical
Islamist, is well known. After Bashir's re-election as president in
1999, al-Turabi, then the chairperson of the NCP, passed a bill in
parliament that demanded a reduction in presidential powers. Citing this
as a potential threat, Bashir dismissed al-Turabi as the chairperson of
the NCP.
In response al-Turabi began his own splinted faction
called the Popular National Congress Party (PCP), which had links with
the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM). This led to his
arrest in 2003. After being released for a brief period al-Turabi was
re-arrested and released yet again in 2005 at the height of the Doha
peace talks.
War crimes and crimes against humanity
The International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague
issued an arrest warrant against Bashir in 2009 for committing war
crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. He is wanted alongside
Ahmed Harun the governor of South Kordofan and Ali Kushayb, an alleged
Janjaweed leader.
Bashir has been indicted for masterminding and
implementing a plan to destroy three main Darfuri Arab groups – the Fur,
Masalit and Zaghawa. His arrest is still impending since the Sudan has
declared that it will not carry it forward.
Position on human rights
Despite these allegations by the ICC as well as
widespread condemnation by the international community, Bashir remains
defiant. In an interview with David Frost, the Sudanese president was
quoted saying, “Talk of Arabs killing Blacks is a lie, the
government of Sudan is a government of Blacks, with all different ethnic
backgrounds. We're all Africans. We're all Black.”Such remarks could be seen as outlining Bashir's attitude towards the ongoing civil war in the country between the government and the southern-based Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A).
Bashir has banned numerous international humanitarian organizations from working inside Sudan claiming that they are western spies. Only national humanitarian organizations are allowed to function in affected areas, but also with limitations on their movements.
While the situation worsens in areas like Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile, Bashir has been blamed by various international observers to have been turning a blind eye towards the plight of the civilians and continuing a military campaign against targeted populations.