Abdel Rahim Mohammed Hussein
Abdel Rahim Mohammed Hussein (Arabic: عبد الرحيم محمد حسين; born 1949) is a Sudanese politician and the former Governor of Khartoum State. Hussein served as the longstanding Minister of National Defense of The Republic of Sudan. Hussein also served for a period as the Minister of Interior Affairs. During his term as Minister of Interior Affairs, he opened the Rabat University. Hussein was arrested in early April 2019 following a coup on 11 April which overthrew al-Bashir.[2][3]
Abdel Rahim Mohammed Hussein | |
|---|---|
| عبد الرحيم محمد حسين | |
 Abdel Rahim Hussein in July 2011. | |
| Governor of Khartoum State | |
| President | Omar al-Bashir |
| Minister of National Defense | |
| In office 22 September 2005 – 6 June 2015[1] | |
| President | Omar al-Bashir |
| Preceded by | Bakri Hassan Saleh |
| Succeeded by | Mustafa Osman Obeid Salim |
| Minister of Interior Affairs | |
| In office 18 January 1993 – 13 July 2005 | |
| President | Omar al-Bashir |
| Succeeded by | Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamad |
| Secretary-General of the Revolutionary Command Council | |
| In office 30 June 1989 – October 1993 | |
| President | Omar al-Bashir |
| Preceded by | Post created |
| Succeeded by | Post abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1949 (age 73–74) Dongola, Northern State, Sudan |
| Political party | National Congress |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Sudan |
| Branch/service |  Sudanese Air Force |
| Years of service | 1960's – 1989 |
| Rank | Lt. Gen. |
Early life
Hussein was born in 1949 Karam, part of Northern State,[4][5][6] In 1964 he began his secondary education in Elburgig (البرقيق ). It was here that he became an Islamist.
Military career
He joined the Sudanese Air Force in the 1973, .Hussein graduated from the prestigious Cranfield University in the United Kingdom with a master's degree in aeronautical engineering in 1982.[7] He played a major role in the 1989 Sudanese coup d'état, and afterwards in 1990 became Secretary-General of the Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation; the ruling authority of Sudan between 1989 and 1993.[5]
Politics
Interior Minister
Following the dissolution of the Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation he was appointed Minister of Interior Affairs by President Bashir, a position through which he dominated Sudan's internal security services.[5]
Despite being a strong Islamist, Hussein remained a loyal Bashir supporter following Bashir's rift with Hassan al-Turabi; the leader of the National Islamic Front, and quite possibly the most influential Sudanese Islamist, who had supported Bashir in his 1989 coup attempt.[5]
Hussein has recognised the major role Turabi played in the formation of the ideology that led the 1989 coup attempt, and spoke in 2002 about how although disliked the rift with Turabi due to the intellectual and political debt they owed him, Turabi's imprisonment was in fact necessary to protect the state that Turabi had advocated for.[5]
In 2004 President Bashir appointed Hussein as his special representative for Darfur. He held this position until 2005.[5]
Minister of Defence
He became the Minister of National Defense in 2005, he held the position till 2015.
In his time Sudanese army became the third in Africa after South Africa and Egypt.
During his time, a remarkable development took place in the Sudanese army in terms of individual, equipment, and work environment.
He is considered one of the strongest defense ministers who passed through the Ministry of Defense in Sudan.
War crimes allegations
On 2 December 2011, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court of the investigating the situation in Darfur, Luis Moreno Ocampo, requested a Pre-Trial Chamber of the Court to issue an arrest warrant against Abdel Rahim Mohammed Hussein for war crimes and crimes against humanity.[8]
On 1 March 2012, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Hussein, charging with 20 counts of crimes against humanity and 21 counts of war crimes.
2019 arrest
On 11 April 2019, al-Bashir was overthrown in a coup and Hussein was soon afterwards arrested.[2][3] On 27 May 2020, Sudan’s public prosecution service announced that Hussein had tested positive for COVID-19 and was subsequently placed in quarantine.[9]
References
- "Sudan changes ministers of defence, foreign affairs, oil". Ynetnews. June 6, 2015.
- Elbagir, Nima (15 April 2019). "As Bashir faces court, Sudan's protesters keep the music alive". CNN. Archived from the original on 2019-06-19. Retrieved 2019-06-19.
- Sudan's Omar al-Bashir forced out in coup, CNN, Eliza Mackintosh and James Griffiths, 11 April 2019
- "Republic of Sudan Ministry of Defence: Former Defence Ministers". Archived from the original on 2018-08-12. Retrieved 2015-10-28.
- "Abdel-Rahim Mohamed Hussein". Sudan Tribune. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
- "Hussein Case". Archived from the original on 2013-09-26. Retrieved 2013-09-07.
- Pigott, Peter (February 16, 2009). Canada in Sudan: War Without Borders. Dundurn. ISBN 9781770705142 – via Google Books.
- ICC Prosecutor Presents New Case in Darfur Archived December 3, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. ICC press release. 2 December 2011. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
- "Sudan says 3 jailed members of ousted Bashir regime have coronavirus". Reuters. 28 May 2020. Archived from the original on 6 June 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.