List of heads of state of Sudan Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Presidency of the Republic of the Sudan
Presidential Standard
Incumbent Transitional Sovereignty Council since 11 November 2021
Executive branch of the Sudanese Government Head of state of the Republic of the Sudan
Residence	Republican Palace, Khartoum (Chairman)
Formation	17 November 1958
First holder	Five-member Sovereignty Council (collective presidency)
Salary	29,320 USD annually

This article lists the people who have been the leaders of Sudan since the country became independent in 1956. The head of state is the top leader of a country.

Sudan's Journey to Leadership
- Military Rule and Changes
- Recent Leaders and Transitions
How Long Can a Leader Serve?
Titles of Sudan's Leaders
Leaders of Sudan (1956–present)
Timeline of Sudan's Leaders
Future Elections
See also

Sudan's Journey to Leadership

Since Sudan became independent on January 1, 1956, several different leaders and groups have been in charge. The main title for the leader is now President of the Republic of the Sudan.

Before 1956, Sudan was ruled by both Egypt and the United Kingdom. This shared rule was called a condominium. The leaders of both Egypt and the UK were in charge of Sudan at that time.

Right after independence, a group of five people called the Sovereignty Council became the head of state. This happened because different groups in Sudan couldn't agree on one single leader.

Military Rule and Changes

In November 1958, General Ibrahim Abboud took power in a military takeover. He became the head of state. In 1964, he became president but resigned later that year. People were unhappy with the military government.

After Abboud, a civil servant named Sirr Al-Khatim Al-Khalifa was acting president for a short time. Then, another group called the Committee of Sovereignty took over.

Ismail al-Azhari became president in July 1965. He had limited power. In 1969, he was removed from power in another military takeover. The military officers then formed the National Revolutionary Command Council, led by Jaafar Nimeiry.

Nimeiry became president in 1971. He created a one-party state, meaning only his political party was allowed. His rule lasted until 1985. In 1985, other military officers overthrew his government. They formed the 1985 Transitional Military Council, led by Field Marshal Abdel Rahman Swar al-Dahab.

Ahmed al-Mirghani became Chairman of the Supreme Council in 1986 after elections. He was removed in a military takeover in 1989 by Lieutenant-General Omar al-Bashir.

Recent Leaders and Transitions

Al-Bashir was Sudan's leader for almost 30 years. He was Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation from 1989 to 1993. Then he was president from 1993 to 2019.

In April 2019, al-Bashir was removed from power by the Sudanese Armed Forces during the Sudanese Revolution. Lieutenant-General Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf took control briefly but resigned the next day. Lieutenant-General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan then took over.

The military council was replaced by the Transitional Sovereignty Council in August 2019. This council has 11 members, both civilian and military. It was meant to lead Sudan towards democracy for 39 months. The goal was to have a new election.

However, al-Burhan dissolved the Transitional Sovereignty Council in October 2021 after a military takeover. He then brought it back in November 2021, but with some new members.

How Long Can a Leader Serve?

As of 2021, Sudan's constitution says a president can only serve for two terms. No president has reached this limit yet.

Titles of Sudan's Leaders

The title for Sudan's head of state has changed over time:

1956–1958: Sovereignty Council
1958–1964: Chairman of the Supreme Council
1964 : President
1964–1965: Committees of Sovereignty
1965–1969: Chairman of the Sovereignty Council
1969–1971: Chairman of the National Revolutionary Command Council
1971–1985: President
1985 : 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
2019 : Chairman of the Transitional Military Council
2019–2021: Transitional Sovereignty Council
2021 : Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces
2021–present: Transitional Sovereignty Council

Leaders of Sudan (1956–present)

(Dates in italics mean the person was still in office, even if the government changed.)

No.	Portrait	Name (Born–Died)	Elected	Time in Office			Political party
No.	Portrait	Name (Born–Died)	Elected	Started	Ended	Length of time	Political party
Republic of Sudan (1956–1969)
1		Sovereignty Council	—	1 January 1956	17 November 1958 (removed)	2 years, 320 days	Many parties
2		Ibrahim Abboud (1900–1983)	—	17 November 1958	16 November 1964 (resigned)	5 years, 365 days	Military
—		Sirr Al-Khatim Al-Khalifa (1919–2006) Acting President	—	16 November 1964	3 December 1964	17 days	National Umma Party
3		First Committee of Sovereignty	—	3 December 1964	10 June 1965	189 days	Many parties
4		Second Committee of Sovereignty	—	10 June 1965	8 July 1965	28 days	Many parties
5		Ismail al-Azhari (1900–1969)	—	8 July 1965	25 May 1969 (removed)	3 years, 321 days	Democratic Unionist Party
Democratic Republic of Sudan (1969–1985)
6		Gaafar Nimeiry (1928–2009)	1971 1977 1983	25 May 1969	6 April 1985 (removed)	15 years, 316 days	Military / Sudanese Socialist Union
Republic of Sudan (1985–2019)
7		Abdel Rahman Swar al-Dahab (1934–2018)	—	6 April 1985	6 May 1986	1 year, 30 days	Military
8		Ahmed al-Mirghani (1941–2008)	—	6 May 1986	30 June 1989 (removed)	3 years, 55 days	Democratic Unionist Party
9		Omar al-Bashir (born 1944)	1996 2000 2010 2015	30 June 1989	11 April 2019 (removed)	29 years, 285 days	Military / National Congress Party
Transitional Period (2019–present)
10		Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf (born 1957)	—	11 April 2019	12 April 2019 (resigned)	1 day	Military / National Congress Party
11		Abdel Fattah al-Burhan (born 1960)	—	12 April 2019	20 August 2019	130 days	Military
12		Transitional Sovereignty Council	—	20 August 2019	25 October 2021 (removed)	2 years, 66 days	Many parties (FFC and TMC)
(11)		Abdel Fattah al-Burhan (born 1960)	—	25 October 2021	11 November 2021	17 days	Military
(12)		Transitional Sovereignty Council	—	11 November 2021	Incumbent	3 years, 221 days	Many parties