Omar al-Bashir

The ICC issued two arrest warrants against al-Bashir in 2009 and 2010 for alleged crimes in Darfur, including murder, extermination, forcible transfer, torture, rape, war crimes and genocide. He became the first sitting head of state wanted by the ICC.

Faced with the uprising that began in December 2018, security forces regularly used live ammunition, arrested thousands and ill-treated detainees. Independent estimates put the death toll at more than 100 before al-Bashir's fall. In February 2019, he declared a state of emergency, banned demonstrations and established special courts.

State of the evidence

Documented

A Khartoum court sentenced al-Bashir to two years in a reform facility for corruption and offences involving foreign currency and illicit gains. Large sums of cash had been discovered at his home; he admitted receiving $25 million from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

State of the evidence

Established by a court

Attribution

Accused

In the run-up to and during the 2015 elections, security services arrested and beat activists, restricted political activity and freedom of expression. Al-Bashir was re-elected while the opposition was largely marginalised or boycotted the election.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

The regime intensified arrests of opponents and censorship. Former Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi was detained after criticising abuses attributed to the Rapid Support Forces, while activists were imprisoned or ill-treated.

State of the evidence

Documented

Following the announcement that subsidies would be removed, protests erupted in several cities. Security forces used live ammunition. Human Rights Watch initially verified dozens of deaths; subsequent monitoring reported more than 170 protesters killed, mainly by gunfire.

State of the evidence

Documented

During conflicts in South Kordofan and Blue Nile, Sudanese aircraft and forces conducted indiscriminate bombing and severely restricted humanitarian access to rebel-held areas, worsening displacement and food insecurity.

State of the evidence

Documented

Demonstrations against austerity and al-Bashir's rule were violently dispersed. Hundreds of people were arrested, and human rights organisations documented fatal shootings, beatings and allegations of torture.

State of the evidence

Documented

Immediately after the first ICC arrest warrant, the Sudanese government expelled thirteen major international humanitarian organisations and withdrew the licences of several Sudanese organisations, compromising assistance to hundreds of thousands of people in Darfur and elsewhere.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

During the Second Sudanese Civil War, government forces and allied militias conducted campaigns against civilian populations, involving displacement, looting, abductions and violence. Human Rights Watch concluded that wartime policies and tactics were a major factor in the 1998 famine.

State of the evidence

Documented

Omar al-Bashir seized power in a coup against the elected government of Sadiq al-Mahdi. The new regime dissolved or banned political, trade union and civic organisations, purged the administration and judiciary, and used secret detention and ill-treatment against opponents.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated