Khartoum – Sudan is on Tuesday set to begin a trial against ousted autocrat Omar al-Bashir for leading a military coup that brought him to power 31 years ago.

Al-Bashir is scheduled to appear in court in the capital, Khartoum, at 0800 GMT to face charges of undermining the constitution, violating the Armed Forces Act and rebellion, Al-Moez Hadra, one of a group of lawyers who filed the criminal lawsuit, told dpa.

The 76-year-old will stand trial with 16 co-accused, among them two of al-Bashir’s former vice presidents as well as former ministers and governors.

If convicted, al-Bashir, who is already imprisoned for corruption, could face the death sentence.

Al-Bashir came to power in 1989 after he lead a military coup against democratically elected Prime Minister Sadek al-Mahdi.

He was ousted in April 2019 after months of pro-democracy street protests and mass sit-ins. 

Al-Bashir was convicted in late 2019 on corruption charges, but was never tried for alleged crimes against humanity committed under his 30-year iron fist rule.

The volatile nation in the Horn of Africa is currently run by a transitional government made up of military and civilian personnel. dpa