Nimeiri, Gaafar Mohamed el-

(born Jan. 1, 1930, Wad Nubawi, Omdurman, Sudan—died May 30, 2009, Omdurman) President of The Sudan (1971–85). In 1969 he helped overthrow the civilian regime of Isma'il al-Azhari. Nimeiri's own government was temporarily ousted in 1971, but he was returned to office following a plebiscite. He granted autonomy to the Southern Sudan in 1972, inaugurated one of the world's largest sugar-refinery projects (1981), and sought to develop agriculture. His attempts to impose Islamic law were resisted by Christians and others in the south, which led to his fall from power. In 1985 Nimeiri was overthrown in a bloodless coup while he was in the United States. He took refuge in Egypt, where he lived in exile until his return to The Sudan in 1999.

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