The National Congress Party (NCP; , ') was a major political party of ousted Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, it dominated domestic politics in Sudan from its foundation until it was banned following the Sudanese revolution.

After a military coup in 1969, Sudanese President Gaafar Nimeiry abolished all other political parties, effectively dissolving the Islamic parties. Following political transition in 1985, the leader of Islamic Charter Front (ICF), Hassan al-Turabi, reorganised the former party into the National Islamic Front (NIF), which pushed for an Islamist constitution. The NIF ultimately backed another military coup bringing to power Omar al-Bashir, who publicly endorsed the NIF's Islamist agenda. The party structure was composed at the national level of the General Conference, the Shura Council and the Leadership Council, and the Executive Office.

After the split of the NIF, the party was divided into two parties. The Islamic Movement led by its secretary Hassan al-Turabi and the military commanded by Omar al-Bashir launched a military coup against Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi and President Ahmed al-Mirghani in 1989. Omar al-Bashir, who also became Chairman of the National Congress Party (NCP) and President of Sudan, seized power and began institutionalising Sharia at a national level.

The NCP was established in 1998 by key political figures in the National Islamic Front as well as other politicians. The rule of the NCP was the longest in independent contemporary Sudanese history. It grew out of the Islamist student activism of the Muslim Brotherhood, passing through the same revolutionary salafi jihadism. The party followed the ideologies of Islamism, Pan-Arabism, and Arab nationalism. Hassan al-Turabi was subsequently imprisoned in 2000 on allegations of conspiracy before being released in October 2003.

Approving South Sudanese autonomy

In 2000, following the Sudanese government approving democratic elections that were boycotted by the opposition, it merged with the Alliance of Working Peoples' Forces Party of former President Gaafar Nimeiry. This merger later disintegrated with the launch of the Sudanese Socialist Democratic Union (SSDU). The utility of the elections was questioned due to their boycotting by the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and the National Umma Party (NUP). At the legislative elections, held between 13–23 December 2000, the party won 355 out of 360 seats. At the presidential elections of the same year, its candidate Omar al-Bashir was re-elected with 86.5% of the popular vote. NCP members continued to dominate the Lawyers' Union and heads of most of Sudan's agricultural and university student unions. Following the Comprehensive Peace Agreement with the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) in 2005, the NCP-dominated government of Sudan allowed Southern Sudan autonomy for six years, to be followed by a referendum on independence in 2011, thus ending the Second Sudanese Civil War. South Sudan voted in favour of secession.

War in Darfur

Since the outbreak of the War in Darfur in 2004 between the government of Omar al-Bashir and rebel groups such as the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), the NCP has been almost universally criticised for allegedly, however not officially, supporting Arab militias such as the Janjaweed through a campaign of murder, rape and deportation against the militants as well as the local population. Because of the guerrilla warfare in the Darfur region, between 200,000 and 400,000 people have been killed, while over 2.5 million people have been displaced and the diplomatic relations between Sudan and Chad has never been worse. This has led to the International Criminal Court (ICC) indicting State Minister for Humanitarian Affairs Ahmed Haroun and alleged Muslim Janjawid militia leader Ali Mohammed Ali, also known as Ali Kushayb, in relation to the atrocities in the region. On 14 July 2008, ten criminal charges were announced against President Omar al-Bashir, and subsequently. a warrant for his arrest was issued. , Omar al-Bashir, Ahmed Haroun and Abdel Rahim Mohammed Hussein, also a member of the NCP and indicted by the ICC, were held under detention by Sudanese authorities while the Transitional Military Council held power. His political rival was Vice President Salva Kiir Mayardit, who was also a leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and subsequently became President of South Sudan. As a result, the NCP won 324 out of 450 seats in the legislative elections and its candidate Omar al-Bashir was re-elected with 68.24% of the popular vote in the presidential elections.

Downfall

Mass demonstrations began on 19 December 2018 and ultimately ousted Omar al-Bashir on 11 April 2019. After a transitional government came into power in November, it passed a decree that placed a 10-year ban on political activities for the NCP, confiscated its properties and assets, and removed its members from public institutions.

  • Official National Congress Party Website
  • Omar Hassan Ahmad Al-Bashir Trial Watch
  • Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir the Hague Justice Portal
  • "Sudanese President Threaten Wars," Sudan Inside, 18 November 2007.
  • by Michael Johns, Heritage Foundation Executive Memorandum #245, 28 July 1989.
  • Arrest Warrant for Sudan's President Bashir: Arabs Are Leaving Themselves out of the International Justice System
  • Sudan Electionnaire