Coup Atlas Research Database
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62508231991ConspiracyMilitary coup

Sudan, 1991 — military coup conspiracy

Sudan (SDN)North Africa, AfricaAugust 23, 1991

Event Summary

This entry is coded 23 August 1991, during the period of continued conspiracy, purges, and consolidation under the National Islamic Front-backed regime of Lieutenant General Omar al-Bashir in Sudan, between the 1990 coup attempts and the March 1992 Ba'athist plot. Bashir had seized power in June 1989 and, as a minority regime with little popular support, resorted to harsh measures: it imprisoned hundreds of political opponents, banned parties and trade unions, silenced the press, dismantled the judiciary, and repeatedly purged the army. In March 1991 the regime reintroduced a harsh Islamic penal code, and its support for Iraq in the Gulf War isolated Sudan from the West and its Arab neighbors while the economy deteriorated and the war against the Sudan People's Liberation Army continued.

Amid this instability, foreign reporting in mid-August 1991 even circulated claims that Bashir might soon retire for health reasons. The 23 August 1991 coding sits in this climate of continued anti-Bashir plotting and regime consolidation in the first years of his rule.

Researched Details

Researched

Independent research, added record by record. Hover any label for what it means.

Target identified in Coup Atlas research: Bashir suppressed dissent and consolidated NIF rule, remaining in power until 2019
RESEARCHED NAME
Key figures
Lieutenant General Omar al-Bashir (target)
disaffected army officers
Hassan al-Turabi and the National Islamic Front

Sources

As a minority with little popular support, Bashir's Revolutionary Command Council resorted to harsh measures, imprisoning hundreds of political opponents, banning trade unions and political parties, silencing the press, and dismantling the judiciary.
SOURCE REVIEWED Britannica: Sudan under Bashir open source ↗
The regime reintroduced Islamic law including corporal punishment in March 1991 and supported Iraq in the Persian Gulf War, acts that isolated Sudan from both the West and its Arab neighbours as the economy deteriorated.
SOURCE REVIEWED Britannica: Sudan under Bashir open source ↗
Bashir issued purges and executions of people whom he alleged to be coup leaders in the upper ranks of the army, along with the banning of associations, political parties, and independent newspapers, through the early period of his rule.
SOURCE REVIEWED Wikipedia: Omar al-Bashir open source ↗
A report carried in mid-August 1991 by the London-based Sawt al-Kuwayt claimed that al-Bashir was to retire soon for health reasons, reflecting the swirl of rumor around the regime at that time.
SOURCE REVIEWED University of Minnesota Human Rights Library: Sudan, Human Rights Since the 1989 Coup open source ↗

Editorial Note

No discrete plot is precisely dated 23 Aug 1991 in the sources located this session; the coding sits in the continued anti-Bashir conspiracy and purge climate between the 1990 coup attempts and the March 1992 Ba'athist plot. Context with framing. First of two Sudan records in this batch; Sudan is a repeat country from batch 15.

Cross-Reference

Only one dataset carries it. One of the three reference datasets we check against carries this event; the others do not list it. That is not a contradiction — the datasets cover different periods and use different thresholds — but it means the record has had less outside corroboration.

Identifiers for finding this same event in the other datasets:

Cline Center id
62508231991

How the match is made is described in crossref-report.md.

Outcome and Target

Coup Atlas research identifies the target as: Bashir suppressed dissent and consolidated NIF rule, remaining in power until 2019.

Baseline coding: Plot discovered and disrupted before execution. Recorded leader fate: remained in office; not physically harmed. The baseline file does not name individual targets; researched names are kept in a separate layer.

Baseline Dataset Citation

Cline Center Coup d’État Project Dataset, v2.2.2
Peyton, Buddy, Joseph Bajjalieh, Michael Martin, and Andrea Gerald. 2026. Cline Center Coup d’État Project Dataset. Cline Center for Advanced Social Research. V.2.2.2. February 17. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. doi: 10.13012/B2IDB-9651987_V10
⚑ This citation establishes the coded baseline record; use the claim-level sources above for the researched narrative.

Baseline Source-Document Entries

CSP

Named in the baseline source document; no article citation was recorded.

Times of India

“Coup bid foiled in Sudan,” August 24, 1991

Globe and Mail

“World in Brief Sudan plot uncovered,” August 24, 1991

This is the citation trail carried by the baseline dataset, grouped by outlet and rejoined from the line-wrapped original. Coup Atlas has not independently re-checked every document; read the original before citing a specific claim. URLs the import damaged beyond safe repair are shown as plain text and listed in citations-report.md. How this list is built →

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