Gaafar Nimeiry

Gaafar Nimeiry was a leader in Sudan.

He was a soldier first. He took control of the land in 1969.

At first, he made many new rules. He wanted to change how the land worked. He even signed a peace deal in 1972.

This deal helped end a war.

Later, things changed. He made new laws that were not fair to all people. This caused more fighting in the land.

Money also became a big problem. Food and fuel were hard to get. Many people were unhappy with the leader.

In 1985, the people rose up. They worked together to end his rule.

This was a very big change for Sudan.

Gaafar Nimeiry was a leader in Sudan.

He was a soldier before he was a leader. In 1969, he led a military group to take control of the government. This event was called the May Revolution.

At first, Nimeiry wanted to change how the economy worked. He made new rules for banks and businesses. In 1972, he signed a peace deal called the Addis Ababa Agreement.

This deal gave more power to the people in the south. It helped end the first civil war in Sudan.

Later, Nimeiry's choices changed. He began to use Islamic law, called Sharia, for the whole country. This was not fair to many people in the south. It caused a second civil war to start.

By 1985, Sudan had many problems. The money lost its value. People had to wait in long lines for food and fuel. Many people protested against his rule.

In April 1985, the military took his power away. Nimeiry lived in Egypt for a while before he returned to Sudan. He died in 2009.

Gaafar Nimeiry was a very important leader in Sudan.

He was a soldier who rose through the ranks of the army. He went to many schools, including the War College in Omdurman in 1952. Later, he studied in the United States at a college in Kansas. In 1969, Nimeiry led a group of officers to take control of the government. This event was called the May Revolution. He became the head of state and ruled for many years.

At first, Nimeiry's ideas were about socialism and helping the state control the economy. He took control of banks and many foreign businesses. In 1971, a group of communist officers tried to take his power away. Nimeiry was only able to stay in power because Libya sent help. After this, his ideas changed quite a bit. He stopped working with the Soviet Union. Instead, he became friends with the United States and China. China even began to help train the Sudanese army.

Nimeiry had a big success with a peace deal in 1972.

This was called the Addis Ababa Agreement. It helped end the First Sudanese Civil War. The deal gave more freedom to the people living in the south of the country. This led to about eleven years of peace. During this time, Nimeiry wanted Sudan to grow its farms and oil. He even started large projects like the Kenana sugar scheme. However, the country began to struggle with a lot of debt.

Later in his rule, Nimeiry's choices caused new problems. He began to work closely with religious leaders. In 1983, he decided to use Sharia law for the whole country. This was a very big change that upset many people. This choice broke the peace deal from 1972. It caused the Second Sudanese Civil War to begin.

The fighting was led by a group called the SPLA. This made the country much less stable than before.

By 1985, Sudan was facing a very hard time. The value of the money dropped by 80 percent. People had to wait in long lines for things like bread and petrol. There was also a very bad drought in the region. Many people began to protest and go on strike to show they were unhappy. In April 1985, the military took his power away. Nimeiry moved to Egypt for a long time. He finally came back to Sudan in 1999. He died at his home in Omdurman in 2009.

Gaafar Muhammad an-Nimeiry was a prominent Sudanese military officer and politician. He served as the head of state in Sudan from 1969 to 1985. He first led as the Chairman of the National Revolutionary Command Council. Later, he held the title of President. Nimeiry rose through the ranks of the Sudanese Army. He graduated from the War College in Omdurman in 1952. He also earned a Master of Military Science from a college in Kansas in 1966.

Nimeiry took power through a military coup in 1969. This event was called the "May Revolution." He and a small group of officers overthrew the civilian government. After the takeover, Nimeiry suspended the constitution. He also dissolved the National Assembly and all political parties. He established a one-party state using the Sudanese Socialist Union. This organization became the only legal political entity in the country. At first, Nimeiry followed socialist policies. He nationalized banks and foreign-owned businesses to increase state control.

His political direction changed suddenly in 1971. A group of communist-backed officers attempted a coup to remove him. Nimeiry was briefly ousted from power during this attempt. However, he was restored by loyalist troops and help from Libya. The Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, sent fighter aircraft to assist Nimeiry. Following this event, Nimeiry moved away from the Soviet Union. He shifted his focus toward the United States and China. China began training the Sudanese army and providing fighter aircraft.

In 1972, Nimeiry achieved a major diplomatic victory. He signed the Addis Ababa Agreement to end the First Sudanese Civil War. This treaty granted autonomy to the non-Muslim southern region. This agreement led to eleven years of stability in the country. During this time, Nimeiry pursued capitalist economic policies. He wanted Sudan to become the "breadbasket of the Arab world." He used oil capital and Western technology for large projects. These included the Kenana sugar scheme and oil exploration by Chevron.

Despite the peace in the south, Nimeiry faced many threats in the north. In 1976, an insurgent force crossed the border from Libya. This led to three days of intense fighting in Khartoum and Omdurman. About 3,000 people died during these battles. To stabilize his rule, Nimeiry began a "National Reconciliation" in 1977. He invited Islamist leaders, such as Hassan al-Turabi, back to Sudan. This move helped him gain support from religious groups. However, it also began to marginalize secular and southern political forces.

By the early 1980s, Nimeiry's policies shifted toward Islamism. In 1983, he imposed Sharia law throughout the entire country. These were known as the "September Laws." This decision violated the previous peace agreement with the south. It triggered the Second Sudanese Civil War against the Sudan People's Liberation Army. At the same time, Sudan faced a massive economic crisis. Between 1980 and 1985, the Sudanese pound lost 80 percent of its value. Hyperinflation made daily life very difficult for citizens.

Economic hardship and political unrest eventually ended his rule. The government struggled with a foreign debt of $9 billion. A severe regional drought also hurt the country. People faced long queues for petrol, bread, and sugar. In April 1985, massive protests and strikes paralyzed the capital. While Nimeiry was in Washington, D.C., a military coup occurred. General Abdel Rahman Swar al-Dahab took control of the government. This event is known as the 1985 Revolution. Nimeiry went into exile in Egypt for many years.

Nimeiry eventually returned to Sudan in May 1999. He ran for president in the year 2000. He received only 9.6 percent of the votes in that election. In 2005, his political party merged with the ruling party. Nimeiry died of natural causes in Omdurman on May 30, 2009. Tens of thousands of people attended his funeral. His death led to new political splits among his supporters. He remains a complex figure in the history of Sudan.