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.
step down, as the longtime ruler made another attempt to stem popular discontent by promising wage hikes and appealing to patriotism.
In a joint statement on Thursday, four groups called for nationwide protests on Friday and a march on the president's Nile-side palace on Sunday.
They also called for a march on parliament in Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman to present a petition demanding that the 74-year-old general-turned-president step down.
The demands are likely to turn up the pressure on al-Bashir to find a way out of the crisis. Sudan has seen two weeks of violent street protests, with dozens killed.
During Thursday's anti-government protests in Port Sudan, Sudanese security forces fired tear gas at protesters who were trying to deliver an anti-government petition to the local headquarters of President Omar al-Bashir's ruling National Congress party, a witness told Rooters news agency.
More than 200 people took part in the demonstration, which broke up before the protesters reached the building.
The protests were initially sparked by steep price hikes, a fuel shortage and a liquidity crunch that forced authorities to place a ceiling on bank withdrawals and led to long lines at ATMs.