Sudan’s al-Bashir Sentenced in First of Post-coup Trials

A court in Khartoum has sentenced former Sudanese strongman Omar al-Bashir to two years in a “reform facility” for corruption stemming from the illegal possession of foreign currency. The currency was uncovered when widespread protests over the standard of living, begun in December 2018, led the military to topple Bashir the following April after 30 years in power. The sentencing judge said the ex-dictator’s age, 75, had led him to avoid sending him to a prison. Bashir also faces trials in connection with dozens of deaths that took place during the protests, and is wanted by the International Criminal Court on two arrest warrants for alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in his handling of unrest in Sudan’s Darfur region a decade ago. African mediators helped establish a Sudanese power-sharing mechanism between the military and civilians until a new constitution can be drawn up and elections are held.