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.
to step down, throwing his support behind anti-government demonstrators after weeks of deadly protest.
Demonstrations have rocked the east African country since December 19, prompted by a government decision to triple the price of bread.
Since then 30 people have died in protest-related violence, according to officials, while rights group put the corpse count at more than 40.
"This regime has to go immediately," Mahdi told hundreds of worshippers at a mosque in Omdurman, the twin city of the capital Khartoum, which has seen near daily anti-government protests.
Echoing protesters' call for Bashir to resign, Mahdi gave an even higher corpse count for the demonstrations.
"More than 50 people have been killed since December," said Mahdi, a fixture of Sudanese politics since the 1960s whose government was toppled by Bashir in a 1989 coup.
After nearly a year in exile, Mahdi returned to Sudan last month on the same day protests began.
On Friday, he backed the Sudanese Professionals' Association (SPA), an umbrella group of doctors, teachers and engineers which is leading demonstrations.
"A period of transition will come soon... we are supporting this (protest) movement," said Mahdi, adding his party had signed a document with the association.
"This is a document for change and freedom," he said.
While Mahdi's Umma Party has served as Sudan's main opposition group, regularly campaigning against government policies, analysts say the SPA has emerged as the biggest challenge yet to Bashir's rule.
"Together we will hold peaceful demonstrations in Sudan and outside of Sudan," Mahdi said, condemning the use of "live ammunition" against protesters.