Omar al-Bashir Fast Facts
CNN Editorial Research
(CNN) — Here’s a look at the life of Sudan’s former leader, Omar al-Bashir.
Personal
Birth date: January 1, 1944
Birth place: Hosh Bannaga, Sudan
Birth name: Omar Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir
Father: Name unavailable publicly
Mother: Name unavailable publicly
Marriages: Fatima Khalid; Widad Babiker Omer
Education: Sudan Military Academy, 1966
Military service: Sudanese Armed Forces
Religion: Islam
Timeline
1960 – Joins the Sudanese Armed Forces.
1966 – Graduates from the Sudan Military Academy.
1973 – Serves with Egyptian forces during the October 1973 Arab-Israeli war.
1973-1987 – Holds various military posts.
1989-1993 – Serves as Sudan’s defense minister.
June 30, 1989 – Leads a coup against Sudan’s Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi. Establishes and proclaims himself chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council. Dissolves the government, political parties and trade unions.
April 1990 – Survives a coup attempt. Orders the execution of over 30 army and police officers implicated in the coup attempt.
October 16, 1993 – Becomes president of Sudan when the Revolutionary Command Council is dissolved and Sudan is restored to civilian rule.
March 1996 – Is reelected president with more than 75% of the vote.
December 1999 – Dissolves the Parliament after National Congress Party chairman Hassan al-Turabi proposes laws limiting the president’s powers.
December 2000 – Is reelected president with over 85% of the vote.
February 2003 – Rebels in the Darfur region of Sudan rise up against the Sudanese government.
2004 – Is criticized for not cracking down on the Janjaweed militia, a pro-government militia accused of murdering and raping people in Darfur.
September 2007 – After meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Bashir agrees to peace talks with rebels. Peace talks begin in October, but are postponed indefinitely after most of the major players fail to attend.
July 14, 2008 – The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) files charges against Bashir for genocide and war crimes in Darfur.
March 4, 2009 – The ICC issues an arrest warrant for Bashir.
April 26, 2010 – Sudan’s National Election Commission certifies Bashir as the winner of recent presidential elections with 68% of the vote.
July 12, 2010 – The ICC issues a second arrest warrant for Bashir. Combined, the warrant lists 10 counts against Bashir.
December 12, 2014 – The ICC suspends its case against Bashir due to lack of support from the UN Security Council.
March 9, 2015 – The ICC asks the UN Security Council to take steps to force Sudan to extradite Bashir.
April 27, 2015 – Sudan’s Election Commission announces Bashir has been reelected president with more than 94% of the vote. Many major opposition groups boycott the election.
June 15, 2015 – Bashir leaves South Africa just as a South African High Court decides to order his arrest. The human rights group that had petitioned the court to order Bashir’s arrest, the Southern Africa Litigation Centre, says in a statement it is disappointed that the government allowed the Sudanese president to leave before the ruling.
November 23, 2017 – Agence France Presse and other media outlets report that during a trip to Russia, Bashir asks Putin to protect Sudan from the United States, saying he wants closer military ties with Russia.
December 16, 2018 – Bashir visits Syria. This marks the first time an Arab League leader has visited Syria since war began there in 2011.
February 22, 2019 – Declares a year-long state of emergency in response to months of protests nationwide and calls for his resignation.
March 1, 2019 – Steps down as chairman of the National Congress Party.
April 11, 2019 – After three decades of rule, Bashir is arrested and is forced from power in a military coup. Bashir’s government is dissolved, and a military council assumes control for two years to oversee a transition of power, according to a televised statement by Sudanese Defense Minister Awad Mohamed Ahmed Ibn Auf.
May 13, 2019 – Sudan’s Public Prosecutor’s Office has instructed expedited charges be brought against Bashir in the killing of protestors, according to a statement released to CNN.
August 19, 2019 – Bashir appears in a Khartoum court for the first day of his corruption trial. He has heightened security following a failed attempt by his supporters to break him out of prison.
December 14, 2019 – Bashir is sentenced to two years in a correctional facility after being found guilty of corruption and illegitimate possession of foreign currency.
February 11, 2020 – A member of Sudan’s ruling sovereign council announces that all Sudanese wanted by the ICC will be handed over, including Bashir.
July 21, 2020 – Bashir’s trial over his role in the 1989 coup d’etat that propelled him to power begins in Khartoum. He faces a maximum sentence of death.
August 11, 2021 – In a statement given to CNN, Sudan’s Cabinet of Ministers announce the government will hand Bashir over to the ICC along with other officials wanted over the Darfur conflict.
April 26, 2023 – Unconfirmed reports claim Bashir is among the prisoners released from Kober prison. However, the media office of Sudan’s Police and sources familiar with the matter tell CNN that Bashir was transferred to Alia Specialized Hospital a year ago due to health problems.
September 2024 – According to reports, Bashir has been transferred to the northern town of Merowe for medical treatment.
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