NAIROBI, Kenya — For almost three decades, President Omar Hassan al-Bashir ruled Sudan with a heavy fist, jailing opponents and former allies, overseeing the bloody suppression of the Darfur region, and squashing protests that dared to challenge his regime. But on Saturday, the 75-year-old will appear in a court in central Khartoum to hear the verdict in a corruption trial that marks the first attempt by his own citizens to call him to account. Mr. al-Bashir was deposed in April after months of persistent demonstrations throughout the country convinced key military commanders to turn against him. When security forces searched his home and found suitcases stuffed with millions of euros, U.S. dollars, and Sudanese pounds, he was arrested and charged with possessing foreign currency, corruption and receiving illegal gifts. But Mr. al-Bashir could face even more serious charges related to his alleged abuses of human rights: He has already been accused of ordering the killing of pro-democracy protesters earlier this year, and was called to court this month over his role in the coup that brought him to power in 1989.

Source: International New York Times December 14, 2019 01:30 UTC