This article lists the
heads of state
A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 "he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and le ...
of
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
since the country's independence in 1956.
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
A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...
of
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
, currently under the title President of the Republic of the Sudan. Prior to independence, Sudan was governed as a
condominium
A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership structure whereby a building is divided into several units that are each separately owned, surrounded by common areas that are jointly owned. The term can be applied to the building or complex ...
by
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
and the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, under the name
Anglo-Egyptian Sudan
Anglo-Egyptian Sudan ( ar, السودان الإنجليزي المصري ') was a condominium of the United Kingdom and Egypt in the Sudans region of northern Africa between 1899 and 1956, corresponding mostly to the territory of present-day ...
. As such, executive power was vested in a
dyarchy
Diarchy (from Greek , ''di-'', "double", and , ''-arkhía'', "ruled"),Occasionally misspelled ''dyarchy'', as in the ''Encyclopaedia Britannica'' article on the colonial British institution duarchy, or duumvirate (from Latin ', "the office of ...
consisting of both countries' heads of state – at the time of independence, the
Queen of the United Kingdom
The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (the Bailiw ...
(
Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
) and the
Egyptian Revolutionary Command Council
The Revolutionary Command Council (RCC; ''Majlis Qiyāda ath-Thawra'') was the body established to supervise the Republic of Egypt and Anglo-Egyptian Sudan after the Revolution of 1952. It initially selected Ali Maher Pasha as Prime Minister, ...
(headed by
Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein, . (15 January 1918 – 28 September 1970) was an Egyptian politician who served as the second president of Egypt from 1954 until his death in 1970. Nasser led the Egyptian revolution of 1952 and introduced far-re ...
). Immediately following independence, the role of head of state was filled by a five-member Sovereignty Council, with rival
nationalist
Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...
factions unable to agree on a single candidate. In November 1958, General
Ibrahim Abboud
General Ibrahim Abboud ( ar, إبراهيم عبود; 26 October 1900, in Suakin – 8 September 1983, in Khartoum) was a Sudanese political figure who served as the head of state of Sudan between 1958 and 1964 and as president of Sudan in 1964 ...
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
Sirr Al-Khatim Al-Khalifa Al-Hassan ( ar, سر الختم الخليفة الحسن, 1 January 1919 – 18 February 2006) was a Sudanese politician, ambassador and an elite educator, who served as the 5th Prime Minister of Sudan. He was famous ...
, 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
Jaafar Muhammad an-Nimeiry (otherwise spelled in English as Jaafar Nimeiry, Gaafar Nimeiry or Ja'far Muhammad Numayri; ar, جعفر محمد النميري; 26 April 192830 May 2009) was a Sudanese politician who served as the president of Sud ...
. Nimeiry, the leader of the newly formed
Sudanese Socialist Union, assumed the position of president in 1971, and subsequently established a
one-party state
A one-party state, single-party state, one-party system, or single-party system is a type of sovereign state in which only one political party has the right to form the government, usually based on the existing constitution. All other parties ...
, 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
Abdel Rahman Suwar al-Dahab (otherwise known as Suwar al-Dahab or al-Dahab; 1934 – 18 October 2018) ( ar, عبد الرحمن سوار الذهب) was the President of Sudan from 6 April 1985, to 6 May 1986.
His full name has also been listed ...
.
Ahmed al-Mirghani
Ahmad Ali Al-Mirghani ( ar, أحمد الميرغني; 16 August 1942 – 2 November 2008) was the 6th President of Sudan from May 6, 1986, to June 30, 1989, when the democratically elected government was overthrown by a military coup led by ...
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
The Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation (RCCNS-Sudan) was the governing body of Sudan following the June 1989 coup. It grew out of the collaboration between the Sudanese military and the National Islamic Front. It was the autho ...
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
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF; ar, القوات المسلحة السودانية, Al-Quwwat al-Musallaha as-Sudaniyah) are the military forces of the Republic of the Sudan. In 2011, IISS estimated the regular forces' numbers at personnel, whil ...
on 11 April 2019, amid the
Sudanese Revolution
The Sudanese Revolution was a major shift of political power in Sudan that started with street protests throughout Sudan on 19 December 2018 and continued with sustained civil disobedience for about eight months, during which the 2019 Sudane ...
after holding the office for nearly 30 years. Lieutenant-General
Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf
Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf (born ; ar, أحمد عوض بن عوف ) is a Sudanese politician and Sudanese Army General who served as the ''de facto'' head of state for one day from 11 April 2019 to 12 April 2019 after taking part in the 2019 Sudane ...
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
Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman al-Burhan ( ar, عبد الفتاح عبد الرحمن البرهان, Abd al-FattāḥʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Burhān; born 11 July 1960) is a Sudanese politician and Sudanese Army general who is the ''de facto'' hea ...
.
The Transitional Military Council was replaced with the
Sovereignty Council on 20 August 2019, under the chairmanship of al-Burhan. The Sovereignty Council, an 11-member civilian-military
collective head of state
A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...
, is designed to lead the country for 39 months in the
transition to democracy
Democratization, or democratisation, is the transition to a more democratic political regime, including substantive political changes moving in a democratic direction. It may be a hybrid regime in transition from an authoritarian regime to a full ...
, which is supposed to end with the
next general election. The Sovereignty Council was dissolved by al-Burhan on 25 October 2021, following a
coup d'état
A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...
.
Titles of heads of state
* 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
The Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation (RCCNS-Sudan) was the governing body of Sudan following the June 1989 coup. It grew out of the collaboration between the Sudanese military and the National Islamic Front. It was the autho ...
* 1993–2019: President
* 2019: Chairman of the
Transitional Military Council
* 2019–2021:
Sovereignty Council
* 2021–present: Chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council
Heads of state of Sudan (1956–present)
(Dates in italics indicate ''de facto'' continuation of office)
Timeline
Latest election
Notes
See also
*
Politics of Sudan
Currently, the politics of Sudan takes place in the framework of a federal provisional government. Previously, a ''president'' was head of state, head of government, and commander-in-chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces in a ''de jure'' multi-par ...
*
List of governors of pre-independence Sudan
This is a list of Egyptian and European colonial administrators (as well as leaders of the Mahdist State) responsible for the territory of the Turkish Sudan and the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, an area equivalent to modern-day Sudan and South Suda ...
*
Vice President of Sudan
The vice president of Sudan is the second highest political position obtainable in Sudan. Currently there is a provision for one ''de facto'' vice president, deputy chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, who is appointed by the chairm ...
*
List of heads of government of Sudan
This article lists the heads of government of Sudan, from the establishment of the office of Chief Minister in 1952 until the present day. The office of Prime Minister was abolished after the 1989 coup d'état, and reestablished in 2017 when B ...
*
Lists of office-holders
These are lists of incumbents (individuals holding offices or positions), including heads of states or of subnational entities.
A historical discipline, archontology, focuses on the study of past and current office holders.
Incumbents may also ...
*
List of current heads of state and government
References
External links
Official website of the President of Sudan
{{Heads of state and government of Africa
Government of Sudan
History of Sudan
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
1956 establishments in Sudan
Heads of state
A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 "he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and le ...
Heads of state
A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 "he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and le ...