Gaafar Nimeiry

Gaafar Nimeiry, then a colonel, led the Free Officers Movement in a bloodless coup that overthrew the civilian government of Prime Minister Mohamed Ahmed Mahgoub. Nimeiry established the Revolutionary Command Council (RCC) and declared Sudan a socialist state.

Nimeiry signed the Addis Ababa Agreement with the Anyanya rebel group, ending the First Sudanese Civil War (1955-1972). The agreement granted southern Sudan regional autonomy and ended 17 years of conflict, marking a major achievement in Nimeiry's early rule.

Nimeiry abandoned his socialist policies and adopted Islamic Sharia law, imposing hudud punishments and dissolving the southern autonomy. This decision alienated the non-Muslim south and reignited civil war, leading to the formation of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA).

Nimeiry was overthrown by a military coup led by General Abdel Rahman Swar al-Dahab while he was on a visit to the United States. The coup was triggered by widespread protests against economic hardship, corruption, and the ongoing civil war. Nimeiry went into exile in Egypt.