This article lists the heads of state 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 of

, 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 and the United Kingdom, under the name Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. As such, executive power was vested in a dyarchy consisting of both countries' heads of state – at the time of independence, the Queen of the United Kingdom ( Elizabeth II) and the Egyptian Revolutionary Command Council (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 factions unable to agree on a single candidate. In November 1958, General Ibrahim Abboud led a

military coup d'état A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

, 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, who served as acting president for 18 days before transferring executive authority to a Committee of Sovereignty.

Ismail al-Azhari Ismail al-Azhari (October 20, 1900 – August 26, 1969) ( ar, إسماعيل الأزهري) was a Sudanese nationalist and political figure. He served as the first Prime Minister of Sudan between 1954 and 1956, and as President of Sudan from 19 ...

, the leader of the

National Unionist Party The Democratic Unionist Party ( ar-at, الحزب الإتحادي الديموقراطي, al-Hizb al-Ittihadi al-Dimuqrati), also referred to by itself as the Original Democratic Unionist Party, is a political party in Sudan, closely tied to t ...

, 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 The Sudanese Socialist Union ( abbr. SSU; ar, الاتحاد الاشتراكي السوداني ''Al-Ittihad Al-Ishtiraki Al-Sudaniy'') was a political party in Sudan. The SSU was the country's sole legal party from 1971 until 1985, when the ...

, assumed the position of president in 1971, and subsequently established a one-party state, 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 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 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 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. 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, is designed to lead the country for 39 months in the transition to democracy, which is supposed to end with the

next general election This is a list of the next general elections around the world in democratic polities. The general elections listed are for the government of each jurisdiction. These elections determine the Prime Minister and makeup of the legislature in a parli ...

. The Sovereignty Council was dissolved by al-Burhan on 25 October 2021, following a coup d'état.

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 * 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

References

External links

Official website of the President of Sudan
{{Heads of state and government of Africa Government of Sudan History of Sudan

1956 establishments in Sudan Heads of state Heads of state