List of heads of state of Sudan
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This article lists the heads of state of Sudan since the establishment of the First Sovereignty Council in 1955, prior to the country's independence.
History of the office
Since independence was proclaimed on 1 January 1956, six individuals (and three multi-member sovereignty councils) have served as head of state of Sudan, currently under the title President of the Republic of Sudan. Prior to independence, Sudan was governed as a condominium by Egypt and the United Kingdom, under the name Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. As such, executive power was vested in a dyarchy consisting of both countries' heads of state – at the time of independence, the Queen of the United Kingdom (Elizabeth II) and the Egyptian Revolutionary Command Council (headed by Gamal Abdel Nasser). Immediately following independence, the role of head of state was filled by a five-member Sovereignty Council, with rival nationalist factions unable to agree on a single candidate. In November 1958, General Ibrahim Abboud led a military coup d'état, assuming the role of head of state as Chairman of the Supreme Council. Assuming the title of president in 1964, he resigned later that year due to general discontent around the rule of the military regime. Abboud was succeeded by a senior civil servant, Sirr Al-Khatim Al-Khalifa, who served as acting president for 18 days before transferring executive authority to a Committee of Sovereignty.
Ismail al-Azhari, the leader of the National Unionist Party, was made president in July 1965; he ruled with limited power until he was deposed in a 1969 military coup. The military officers responsible for the coup established the National Revolutionary Command Council, chaired by Jaafar Nimeiry. Nimeiry, the leader of the newly formed Sudanese Socialist Union, assumed the position of president in 1971, and subsequently established a one-party state, which existed until 1985, when a group of military officers overthrew his government and established the 1985 Transitional Military Council, led by Field Marshal Abdel Rahman Swar al-Dahab. Ahmed al-Mirghani succeeded to the relatively powerless position of Chairman of the Supreme Council in 1986, after multi-party election held that year. He was deposed in a 1989 military coup led by Lieutenant-General Omar al-Bashir. Al-Bashir served as head of state, under the title of Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation from 1989 to 1993 and as president from 1993 to 2019 (and from 1996 as the leader of the National Congress Party).
Al-Bashir was removed from power by the Sudanese Armed Forces on 11 April 2019, amid the Sudanese revolution after holding the office for nearly 30 years. Lieutenant-General Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf took control of Sudan without becoming head of state, established the 2019 Transitional Military Council, but resigned the following day in favor of Lieutenant-General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.[1] The Transitional Military Council was replaced with the Transitional Sovereignty Council on 21 August 2019, under the chairmanship of al-Burhan.[2] The Sovereignty Council, an 11-member civilian-military collective head of state, is designed to lead the country for 39 months in the transition to democracy, which is supposed to end with the next general election.[3] The Transitional Sovereignty Council was dissolved by al-Burhan on 25 October 2021, following a coup d'état.[4] Al-Burhan reinstated it on 11 November 2021, with some members replaced.[5][6][7]
Term limits
As of 2021, there is a two-term limit for the president in the Constitution of Sudan. The term limit has not been met by any president yet.[8]
Titles of heads of state
- 1955–1958: Sovereignty Council
- 1958–1964: Chairman of the Supreme Council
- 1964Script error: No such module "String".: President
- 1964–1965: Sovereignty Council
- 1965–1969: Chairman of the Sovereignty Council
- 1969–1971: Chairman of the National Revolutionary Command Council
- 1971–1985: President
- 1985Script error: No such module "String".: Commander-in-Chief
- 1985–1986: Chairman of the Transitional Military Council
- 1986–1989: Chairman of the Supreme Council
- 1989–1993: Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation
- 1993–2019: President
- 2019Script error: No such module "String".: Chairman of the Transitional Military Council
- 2019–2021: Transitional Sovereignty Council
- 2021Script error: No such module "String".: Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces[9]
- 2021–present: Transitional Sovereignty Council
Heads of state of Sudan
(Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office)
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Elected | Term of office | Political party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
Republic of Sudan (1956–1969) | |||||||
| style="background:Template:Party color;" | <templatestyles src="Template:Color/styles.css" />1 | File:Coat of arms of Sudan (1956–1970).svg | First Sovereignty Council Template:Efn |
— | 26 December 1955 | 17 November 1958 (Deposed)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Template:Age in years and days | Independent |
| style="background:Template:Party color;" | <templatestyles src="Template:Color/styles.css" />2 | File:Ibrahim Abboud.jpg | Ibrahim Abboud (1900–1983)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
— | 17 November 1958 | 16 November 1964 (Resigned)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Template:Age in years and days | Military |
| style="background:Template:Party color;" | <templatestyles src="Template:Color/styles.css" />— | File:Sirr Al-Khatim Al-Khalifa.jpg | Sirr Al-Khatim Al-Khalifa (1919–2006)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Acting PresidentScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
— | 16 November 1964 | 3 December 1964 | Template:Age in years and days | National Umma Party |
| style="background:Template:Party color;" | <templatestyles src="Template:Color/styles.css" />3 | File:Coat of arms of Sudan (1956–1970).svg | Second Sovereignty Council Template:Efn |
— | 3 December 1964 | 10 June 1965 | Template:Age in years and days | Independent |
| style="background:Template:Party color;" | <templatestyles src="Template:Color/styles.css" />4 | Third Sovereignty Council Template:Efn |
10 June 1965 | 25 May 1969 (Deposed)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Template:Age in years and days | |||
| style="background:Template:Party color;" | <templatestyles src="Template:Color/styles.css" />5 | File:Ismail al-Azhari.webp | Ismail al-Azhari (1900–1969)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Template:Efn |
— | 10 June 1965 | 25 May 1969 (Deposed)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Template:Age in years and days | Democratic Unionist Party |
Democratic Republic of Sudan (1969–1985) | |||||||
| style="background:Template:Party color;" | <templatestyles src="Template:Color/styles.css" />6 | File:Gaafar Nimeiry in 1974.jpg | Gaafar Nimeiry (1928–2009)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Template:Efn |
1971Template:Efn 1977 1983 |
25 May 1969 | 6 April 1985 (Deposed)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Template:Age in years and days | Military / Sudanese Socialist Union |
| style="background:Template:Party color;" | <templatestyles src="Template:Color/styles.css" />7 | File:Hashem al-Atta.jpg | Hashem al-Atta (1936–1971)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Template:Efn |
— | 19 July 1971 | 23 July 1971 | Template:Age in years and days | Sudanese Communist Party |
Republic of Sudan (1985–2019) | |||||||
| style="background:Template:Party color;" | <templatestyles src="Template:Color/styles.css" />8 | File:Abdel Rahman Swar al-Dahab.png | Abdel Rahman Swar al-Dahab (1934–2018)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
— | 6 April 1985 | 6 May 1986Template:Efn | Template:Age in years and days | Military |
| style="background:Template:Party color;" | <templatestyles src="Template:Color/styles.css" />9 | File:Ahmed al-Mirghani.gif | Ahmed al-Mirghani (1941–2008)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
— | 6 May 1986 | 30 June 1989 (Deposed)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Template:Age in years and days | Democratic Unionist Party |
| style="background:Template:Party color;" | <templatestyles src="Template:Color/styles.css" />10 | File:Omar al-Bashir, 12th AU Summit, 090202-N-0506A-137 cropped.jpg | Omar al-Bashir (born 1944)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
1996 2000 2010 2015 |
30 June 1989 | 11 April 2019 (Deposed)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Template:Age in years and days | Military / Independent / National Congress Party |
Transitional period (2019–present) | |||||||
| style="background:Template:Party color;" | <templatestyles src="Template:Color/styles.css" />11 | File:No image.png | Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf (born c.Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 1956)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
— | 11 April 2019 | 12 April 2019 (Resigned)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Template:Age in years and days | Military / National Congress Party |
| rowspan=4 style="background:Template:Party color;" | <templatestyles src="Template:Color/styles.css" />12 | File:Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in April 2025 (cropped).jpg | Abdel Fattah al-Burhan (born 1960)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
— | 12 April 2019 | 21 August 2019 | Template:Age in years and days | Military |
| TSC ChairmanScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Efn | 21 August 2019 | 25 October 2021 | Military / FFC / TMC | ||||
| — | 25 October 2021 | 11 November 2021 | Military | ||||
| TSC ChairmanScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Efn | 11 November 2021 | Incumbent | |||||
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Timeline
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Define $today = 05/05/2026
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id:ind value:rgb(0.80,0.80,0.80) legend:None_(Independent) id:mil value:rgb(0.76,0.69,0.57) legend:Military id:nup value:rgb(0.00,0.41,0.00) legend:National_Umma_Party id:dup value:rgb(0.00,0.65,0.94) legend:Democratic_Unionist_Party id:scp value:rgb(0.93,0.13,0.14) legend:Sudanese_Communist_Party id:ssu value:rgb(0.01,0.51,0.18) legend:Sudanese_Socialist_Union id:ncp value:rgb(0.04,0.35,0.22) legend:National_Congress_Party
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DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1955 till:31/12/2027 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor = gridcolor:gray1 unit:year increment:5 start:1955 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:gray2 unit:year increment:1 start:1955
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pos:(20,65) textcolor:black fontsize:M text:"Political party:"
BarData =
bar:SC1 bar:Abboud bar:Al-Khalifa bar:SC2 bar:SC3 bar:al-Azhari bar:Nimeiry bar:Atta bar:al-Dahab bar:al-Mirghani bar:al-Bashir bar:Auf bar:al-Burhan
PlotData =
width:5 align:left fontsize:S shift:(5,-4) anchor:till
bar:SC1 from: 26/12/1955 till: 17/11/1958 color:ind text:"First Sovereignty Council" bar:Abboud from: 17/11/1958 till: 16/11/1964 color:mil text:"Ibrahim Abboud" bar:Al-Khalifa from: 16/11/1964 till: 03/12/1964 color:nup text:"Sirr Al-Khatim Al-Khalifa (acting)" bar:SC2 from: 03/12/1964 till: 10/06/1965 color:ind text:"Second Sovereignty Council" bar:SC3 from: 10/06/1965 till: 25/05/1969 color:ind text:"Third Sovereignty Council" bar:al-Azhari from: 10/06/1965 till: 25/05/1969 color:dup text:"Ismail al-Azhari" bar:Nimeiry from: 25/05/1969 till: 25/05/1971 color:mil from: 25/05/1971 till: 19/07/1971 color:ssu from: 23/07/1971 till: 06/04/1985 color:ssu text:"Gaafar Nimeiry" bar:Atta from: 19/07/1971 till: 23/07/1971 color:scp text:"Hashem al-Atta" bar:al-Dahab from: 06/04/1985 till: 06/05/1986 color:mil text:"Abdel Rahman Swar al-Dahab" bar:al-Mirghani from: 06/05/1986 till: 30/06/1989 color:dup text:"Ahmed al-Mirghani" bar:al-Bashir from: 30/06/1989 till: 16/10/1993 color:mil from: 16/10/1993 till: 15/11/1998 color:ind from: 15/11/1998 till: 11/04/2019 color:ncp text:"Omar al-Bashir" bar:Auf from: 11/04/2019 till: 12/04/2019 color:ncp text:"Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf" bar:al-Burhan from: 12/04/2019 till: $today color:mil text:"Abdel Fattah al-Burhan"
</timeline>
Incoming election
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Notes
See also
- Politics of Sudan
- History of Sudan
- List of governors of pre-independence Sudan
- Vice President of Sudan
- List of heads of government of Sudan
References
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External links
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