Sudan marks anniversary of 1985 popular uprising

The General Secretariat of Sudan’s Council of Ministers announced that Thursday will be an official holiday all over Sudan, to mark the anniversary of the April 6, 1985 popular uprising that resulted in the overthrow of President Jaafar Nimeiri, and saw a democratically elected government installed in Khartoum.

Anti-government demonstrations began in Sudan in March 1985 in response to the deteriorating economic situation and cooperation between the government of President Jaafar Nimeiri (who had seized power via coup d’état in May 1969) and the Muslim Brotherhood led by Hasan El Turabi.

A general strike the following month, organised by a group of opposition parties calling themselves the National Alliance, paralysed the country. The Minister of Defence ousted Nimeiri from power, after which freedoms were restored and legal political party activities resumed.

In the subsequent election, the head of the National Umma Party, El Sadig El Mahdi, became prime minister. His administration was characterised by political instability, indecisive leadership, party manipulations resulting in short-lived coalitions, and failure to reach a peaceful settlement in the south.

On June 30, 1989, Lt Gen Omar Al Bashir seized power in a military coup d’état, heralding 30 years of dictatorship that would last until his overthrow, again by a military coup d’état, in 2019.