Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir in key dates

Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir, ousted by the army Thursday after months of anti-government protests, ruled with an iron fist since seizing power in a 1989 coup.

Here are key dates in his life and career.

January 1, 1944: Bashir is born to a rural family in the village of Hosh Bannaga, 100 kilometres (60 miles) north of the capital Khartoum.

1973: A soldier from a young age, he fights alongside the Egyptian army in the 1974 Arab-Israeli war.

June 30, 1989: As brigade commander and with the backing of Islamists, he seizes power in a coup against the democratically elected government.

2003: He sends troops and militiamen to crush a rebellion in the western region of Darfur. The conflict claims more than 300,000 lives, according to the UN.

2009: The International Criminal Court issues a warrant for Bashir’s arrest on war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. The following year it issues a warrant for genocide. He denies the charges.

2010: He is elected president in the first multiparty election since he took power, which is boycotted by the opposition. He is re-elected in 2015.

2013: Demonstrations against his government erupt after a hike in petrol prices. Officials say dozens are killed in related violence.

December 2018: Protests begin in several towns after bread prices triple, snowballing into rolling nationwide rallies demanding he step down.

April 11, 2019: Bashir is removed from office by the military and detained.