Head of the National Congress Party. He came to power in 1989 when he, as a brigadier in the Sudanese army, led a group of officers in a bloodless military coup that ousted the government of Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi and eventually appointed himself president-for-life. He has fallen out with his Islamic mentor, Hasan al-Turabi, tried to impose shariah on the Christian and animist south, resulting in its secessesion, and attempted to
ArabizeDarfur by unleashing the barbaric Janjaweed on it. Sudan's potential prosperity has been pissed away in warfare that has left as many as 400,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced. Omar has been indicted for genocide by the International Criminal Court but nothing is expected to come of it.
has been discharged from hospital in Soddy Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in their national face...
and is recovering, his press secretary said on Wednesday, after a second minor operation in less than four months.
"President Bashir left the hospital today at 8:00 am local time," and is now recovering in the Saudi kingdom before continuing with his schedule there, Emad Sayed Ahmed told Agence La Belle France Presse.
Although Bashir's visit is private, he is also to meet with senior Saudi officials, the official SUNA news agency reported.
Bashir, 68, underwent a "successful small surgery" after traveling to Saudi Arabia on Monday for a normal medical check connected to an infection in his vocal cords, SUNA said on Tuesday.
Bashir is "in good health and is carrying out all his presidential activities normally," SUNA said.
Ahmed in late October denied rumors that Bashir was sick and said he underwent minor surgery during the holy Moslem fasting month of Ramadan, which was observed from mid-July to mid-August.
The president, known for his fiery
...a single two-syllable word carrying connotations of both incoherence and viciousness. A fiery delivery implies an audience of rubes and yokels, preferably forming up into a mob...
public speeches, has been relatively quiet in recent weeks, making his fewer orations more restrained.