omar al-bashir’s rule over sudan is widely regarded as one of the darkest and most unjust periods in the country’s history.
he caused severe disasters and grave injustices throughout sudan, sparking armed conflicts and deep humanitarian crises due to political and economic mismanagement of the country. this was especially evident in the long civil wars in the south, darfur, and eastern sudan, which led to millions of deaths and displacements.
he left sudan in its current tragic state, which the world has often chosen to ignore or neglect, except for certain countries with mineral interests in sudan, which initially fueled these civil wars.
as a result of the crimes of al-bashir, who was accused of causing millions of deaths and the loss of countless properties, and whose harm extended to the entire population, he was internationally convicted of war crimes, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing, rape, and creating some of the worst conditions in history.
nearly 12 million sudanese were displaced due to ethnic cleansing, wars, extreme poverty, widespread famine, lack of security and services, and the spread of disease . the country’s infrastructure completely collapsed amid ongoing unrest, killings, assassinations, arbitrary arrests, and the use of child soldiers.
omar al-bashir and hassan turabi of the muslim brotherhood came to power on june 30, 1989, through a military coup that overthrew the elected civilian government led by sadiq mahdi.
al-bashir then consolidated all power and ruled with authoritarian force, backed by the national islamic front, which emerged from the muslim brotherhood.
he remained in power for nearly 30 years, during which he suppressed political opposition, carried out widespread arbitrary arrests and torture, and curtailed freedoms.
his rule was also marked by repressive policies and extreme religious extremism, culminating in sudan losing over 660,000 square kilometers of territory following the secession of the south.
his crimes and accusations of genocide led to the issuance of international arrest warrants against him.
his rule came to an end following widespread protests and a massive popular uprising, which culminated in a coup and his imprisonment on april 11, 2019.
he is currently receiving medical treatment under guard at a hospital in the merowe region in northern sudan, after his health deteriorated in detention.
despite this grim and bloody history, and with partisan loyalty still fl owing, political analyst abdullah al-nafi si recently stated in an interview, in response to a question from the presenter, that the muslim brotherhood in sudan had succeeded in their coup led by bashir and turabi.
the supposed “proof” offered is that they ruled sudan for thirty years, built bridges, opened universities, and provided electricity. but al-nafisi overlooks a crucial fact - longevity in power, especially under a dictatorship, is not a measure of success.
saddam ruled iraq for thirty years. gaddafi held libya for forty years. the two assads’ rule of syria lasted for more than half a century.
and what was the result? i will leave that for you to judge.
incidentally, our friend has delivered two lectures telling the same story with notable differences. in the first, he claims that, according to a cia official named godsman whom he says he met at a 1992 conference, the end of some gulf states, including kuwait, would come in 2020.
in the second lecture, he repeats the same story, but this time the official’s name is aaron katz, and the predicted end of kuwait is moved to 2025.
yet, despite these contradictions, there are still many, too many to count, who continue to follow his example.