Trial of Sudan’s Ousted Leader, al-Bashir, Postponed for the Third Time

The trial of ousted Sudan leader Omar al-Bashir was on Tuesday postponed for the third time.

The court case is now scheduled for Sept. 1, Supreme Court judge Essam Ibrahim said in Khartoum.

The trial was initially set to start in late July, but has already been postponed twice for reasons including the lack of COVID-19 precautions.

Al-Bashir is facing charges of undermining the constitution, violating the Armed Forces Act and rebellion, Al-Moez Hadra, one of a group of lawyers who filed the criminal lawsuit, said.

The 76-year-old will stand trial with several co-accused, among them two of al-Bashir’s former vice presidents as well as former ministers and governors.

If convicted, al-Bashir, who is already imprisoned for corruption, could face the death sentence.

Al-Bashir came to power in 1989 after he led a military coup against democratically elected prime minister Sadek al-Mahdi.

He was ousted in April 2019 after months of pro-democracy protests and mass sit-ins.

Al-Bashir was convicted in late 2019 on corruption charges.

The volatile nation in the Horn of Africa is currently run by a transitional government made up of military and civilians.