President Omar al-Bashir has been holding the reigns of Sudan for more than a decade and is gearing up to rule the nation for the third time. Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) has backed the 74-year-old as its candidate for the 2020 election, state media reports.
The veteran leader has been in power since a 1989 military coup but has only faced contested elections since the new constitution went into effect in 2010.
His second term ends in 2020.
Notably, the International Criminal Court has charged the President of the Republic of Sudan with five counts of crimes against humanity: murder, extermination, forcible transfer, torture and rape. The first warrant for arrest for Omar Hassan Ahmad Al Bashir was issued on 4 March 2009, the second on 12 July 2010. The case is still in the pre-trial stage.