Omar al-Bashir Biography

Omar al-Bashir was born on January 1, 1944, in Hosh Bannaga, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. He is of Arab descent, belonging to Al-Bedairyya Al-Dahmashyya, a Bedouin tribe. His father was a farmer.

When he was a young boy, his family moved to Khartoum where he completed his schooling.

He studied at the ‘Egyptian Military Academy’ in Cairo and then at the ‘Sudan Military Academy’ in Khartoum from where he graduated in 1966.

Omar al-Bashir joined the army as a young man and rose through the ranks swiftly. He became a paratrooper and fought for the Egyptian army in the Arab-Israeli war in October 1973.

He went to the United Arab Emirates as a Sudanese military attaché in 1975. Upon his return, he was made a garrison commander. He became the commander of an armored parachute brigade in 1981.

Omar al-Bashir assumed the leading role in the Sudanese army’s campaign against the rebels of the southern ‘Sudan People’s Liberation Army’ (SPLA) in the mid-1980s.

By the late-1980s, he had risen to the rank of a brigadier in the Sudanese army. At that time, the country was at risk of suffering a famine, and he was dissatisfied with the administration of Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi.

He led a group of army officers in a bloodless military coup on June 30, 1989, to oust the unstable coalition government of Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi, and took over the leadership of the country.

After coming to power, Omar al-Bashir suspended all political parties and introduced an Islamic legal code throughout Sudan. He proclaimed himself Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation and assumed the posts of chief of state, prime minister, chief of the armed forces, and minister of defense.

The country plunged into deep political turmoil under Omar al-Bashir’s leadership. His powers increased considerably when he declared himself president of Sudan in October 1993. He did so after disbanding the Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation and all other rival political parties.

He now enjoyed absolute power and was elected president in the 1996 national election where he was the only candidate. In 2000, he was re-elected for a five-year term in presidential elections.

Throughout this period, the war with the SPLA continued with increasing intensity. Millions of people were killed, injured, and displaced during the war. The pressure was mounting on al-Bashir to end the civil war.

He finally gave in to international pressure and agreed to form a peace pact with the SPLA. After extensive negotiations, he and rebel leader John Garang signed a peace agreement in January 2005.

With deteriorating economy, numerous civil uprisings and protests started taking place from December 2018. On the verge of national unrest, Omar al-Bashir declared a national emergency in February 2019.

On April 11, 2019, the Sudanese armed forces, led by Defense Minister and Vice President Gen. Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf, removed Omar al-Bashir from his position and dissolved the National Legislature.

The coup d'état helped establish a provisional government and transferred the authority to Sovereignty Council and a civilian Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. The dissolution of Omar’s government was followed by three months of national emergency and a two-year transition period.

After he was forced to step down from his post, Omar al-Bashir was convicted of corruption in December 2019. He was sentenced to two years in prison for the elderly. On February 11, 2020, Sudan agreed to hand him over to the ICC to face charges of crimes against humanity.

Even though his long political career was marked by war, conflicts, and widespread corruption, it cannot be denied that Sudan established strong trade ties with countries like China and Russia. These countries opposed ICC’s decision of prosecuting Omar al-Bashir on war crime and genocide.

Omar al-Bashir has two wives. His first wife is his cousin, Fatima Khalid, and his second wife is Widad Babiker Omer. Widad was previously married to Ibrahim Shamsaddin, a member of the Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation, and they had several children together. Omar al-Bashir does not have any children with either of his wives.

Omar al-Bashir is known for his love of traditional music and often played the tambourine at official events.

He was an avid collector of rare African art and artifacts, with a particular interest in ancient Sudanese pottery.

Omar al-Bashir was a skilled horseback rider and enjoyed participating in equestrian events during his presidency.

Omar al-Bashir is a dedicated advocate for wildlife conservation efforts in Sudan, and has supported initiatives to protect endangered species in the country.