Ousted Sudanese Leader Goes on Trial for 1989 Coup (AUDIO INTERVIEW)

The Media Line speaks with Sudan analyst Annette Weber about the charges and the prospects for Omar al-Bashir, and for the country itself

Sudan’s ousted leader, Omar al-Bashir, went on trial Tuesday in a Khartoum courtroom for the 1989 coup in which he, together with a cohort of Islamists and fellow military officers, overthrew democratically elected prime minister Sadiq al-Mahdi.

Bashir eventually proclaimed himself president and embarked on three decades of autocratic rule that saw widespread repression, corruption, the brutal suppression of a rebellion in the western region of Darfur and Sudan’s placement on Washington’s list of countries supporting terror.

He was overthrown by his army in April of last year during a series of widespread economic protests brought on by an economy that failed after the secession of South Sudan led to the loss of one of Khartoum’s major sources of income: oil.

For details on the charges against Bashir and how the country has been handling a transitionary period aimed at restoring democracy, The Media Line spoke with Dr. Annette Weber, a Sudan analyst at the Berlin-based German Institute for International and Security Affairs.