Sudan’s Bashir among world’s 30 longest-ruling leaders

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

December 21, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – Sudanese president, Omer Hassan al-Bashir is listed amongst the world’s top-30 longest-serving leaders.

Ranked at 9th place, al-Bashir has also made it to the top -10 list of longest-ruling African dictators.

The Sudanese president came to power in a bloodless coup in June 1989 overthrowing the democratically elected government of Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi and appointed himself a president.

When he assumed office his country was in the state of 21-year long civil war between north and south which has reportedly killed an estimated more than one million people.

Although al-Bashir’s government signed a comprehensive peace agreement to end that conflict in 2005, a new war broke out in western region of Darfur between government and rebel groups.

In March 2009, al-Bashir became the first head of state to be indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), for alleged genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, in Darfur.

In defiance to the arrest warrant al-Bashir however travelled to a number of African and Middle Eastern countries.

In June this year, the Sudanese president who was attending an AU summit in Johannesburg managed to escape from ICC after a court in South Sudan considered whether to put in force the arrest warrant.

Although wanted by the ICC, al-Bashir continues to win presidential elections.

In May 2014 elections, the long-time Sudan’s ruler won a controversial election opposition parties boycotted.

According to the Sudan’s election commission al-Bashir was re-elected sweeping 94% of the votes.

Many African leaders have a history of amending constitutions to extend grip in power when their term-limit approaches.

Rwanda is a recent example which is poised to approve a constitutional amendment which would allow President Paul Kagame to run for another term.

Reports show that 24 African leaders have reached their term limits since 1990s; 15 of them tried to amend their constitutions in a bid to drop-term limit and 12 of them succeeded.

Below are the lists of top-10 Africa’s longest serving leaders unveiled by Africa leadership magazine.

1. Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, Equatorial Guinea, 33 years, 3 months
2. Jose Eduardo Dos Santos, Angola, 33 years, 2 months
3. Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe, 33 years, 7 months
4. Paul Biya, Cameroon, 31 years
5. Denis Sassou Nguesso, Republic of the Congo, 29 years, 9 months
6. King Mswati III, Swaziland, 28 years, 7 months
7. Yoweri Museveni, Uganda, 27 years, 11 months
8. Blaise Compaoré, Burkina Faso, 26 years, 1 month
9. Omer Hassan al-Bashir, Sudan, 24 years, 5 months
10. Idriss Déby Itno, Chad, 22 years 11 months

(ST)