President al-Bashir

President: Umar Hasan Ahmad al-Bashir

Lt-Gen Umar Hasan Ahmad al-Bashir came to power in 1989 after a military coup backed by the National Islamic Front. He was appointed president in 1993 by the Revolution Command Council. In 1996 he was elected to a five-year term as president. He has the power to appoint the cabinet. The legislative body is the National Assembly, which has 400 seats.

Country Profile: Sudan

Sudan is the largest and one of the most diverse countries in Africa, home to deserts, mountain ranges, swamps and rain forests.

Apart from an 11-year period of peace, it has been torn by civil war between the mainly Muslim north and the Animist and Christian south since independence in 1956.

SUDAN FACTS
Population: 33.6 million (UN, 2003)
Capital: Khartoum
Major language: Arabic; Nubian, others
Major religion:Islam, Christianity
Life expectancy: 54 years (men), 57 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 dinar = 10 Sudanese pounds
Main exports:Oil, cotton, sesame, livestock and hides, gum arabic
Annual average income: US $340 (World Bank, 2001)
Internet domain: .sd
International dialling code: +249