| 1955 |
| 1955 - |
Disorder breaks
out in south Sudan on the eve of independence. |
| 1956 - |
Sudan becomes independent. |
| 1958 - |
General Ibrahim
Abbud leads military coup against the civilian government elected
earlier in the year. |
| 1962 |
| 1962 - |
Anya Nya movement assumes control
of southern revolt. |
| 1964 - |
The "October Revolution"
overthrows Abbud and a national government is established. |
| 1969 - |
Ja'far Numayri leads the "May Revolution"
military coup. |
| 1972 |
| 1972 - |
Under the Addis
Ababa peace agreement between the government and the Anya Nya
the south becomes a self-governing region. |
| 1978 - |
Oil discovered in Bentiu in southern
Sudan. |
| 1983 |
| 1983 - |
Numayri divides
the south into three regions. Civil war breaks out again in
the south involving government forces and the Sudan People's
Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), lead by John Garang.
Islamic law imposed. |
| 1985 - |
Numayri is deposed in a bloodless
military coup by a group of military officers and a Transitional
Military Council is set up to rule the country. |
| 1986 - |
Coalition government
formed after general elections, with Sadiq al-Mahdi as prime
minister. |
| 1988 - |
Coalition partner the Democratic
Unionist Party (DUP) reaches ceasefire agreement with the SPLM/A,
but it is not implemented. |
| 1989 - |
Operation Lifeline
Sudan (OLS) established. Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi accepts
DUP-SPLM/A agreement. Sadiq al-Mahdi is deposed in a bloodless
military coup led by Brig. (later Lt-Gen) Umar Hasan al-Bashir. |
| 1992 |
| 1992 - |
Nigerian peace conferences (Abuja
I and II) held, but little progress made. |
| 1993 - |
Revolution Command
Council dissolved after Umar Hasan al-Bashir is appointed president. |
| 1994 - |
IGADD start peace process and establish
a Declaration of Principles (DoP). |
| 1995 - |
Egyptian President
Husni Mubarak accuses Sudan of being involved in an attempt
to assassinate him in Addis Ababa. |
| 1995 - |
Asmara Declaration
of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) acknowledging right of
south Sudan to self-determination and calling for separation
of state and religion and armed struggle to overthrow the ruling
National Islamic Front (NIF) regime. |
| 1997 - |
Sudanese government accepts IGAD
DoP and to discuss self-determination for south Sudan. Khartoum
Peace Agreement signed between the government and the South
Sudan Independence Movement of Riek Machar. |
| 1998 - |
Ethio-Eritrea
War breaks out reducing conflict with Sudan. USA launches cruise
missile attack on a pharmaceutical plant in Khartoum, alleging
that it was making materials for chemical weapons. |
| 1999 - |
President Bashir dissolves the National
Assembly and declares a state of emergency following a power
struggle with parliamentary speaker, Hasan al-Turabi. |
| 1999 - |
Sudan begins to export oil. |
| 2000 |
| 2000 October - |
IGAD Lake Bogoria
Talks. |
| 2001 February - |
Islamist leader Hasan al-Turabi
arrested a day after his party, the Popular National Congress,
signed a memorandum of understanding with the southern rebel
Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLM/A). |
| 2001 July - |
Joint Libyan Egyptian Initiative
establishes a Declaration of Principles calling for an all-party
transitional government, but does not deal with the issue of
self-determination for the south. Sudanese government accepts
DoP without reservation and SPLM/A accepts with conditions. |
| 2001 September - |
UN Security Council lifts largely
symbolic sanctions against Sudan which involved a ban on diplomatic
travel. They were imposed in 1996 over accusations that Sudan
harboured suspects in an attempt on the life of Egyptian President
Husni Mubarak, but US continues its sanctions. |
| 2001 October - |
US President George W. Bush names
Senator John Danforth as special envoy to try help end Sudanese
conflict. |
| 2001 November - |
US extends unilateral sanctions
against Sudan for another year, citing its record on terrorism
and rights violations. |
| 2002 |
| 2002 January - |
The government
and the SPLM/A sign a landmark ceasefire agreement providing
for a six-month renewable ceasefire in the Nuba Mountains region
of south-central Sudan. |
| 2002 July - |
After weeks of
talks in Kenya, the government and the SPLM/A sign a protocol
covering self-determination and state and religion and on ending
the 19-year civil war. Under the agreement southern Sudan will
be able to hold an independence referendum after a six-year
power-sharing transition period. |
| 2002 July - |
President Umar
Hasan al-Bashir and SPLM/A leader John Garang meet face to face
for the first time, through the mediation of Ugandan President
Yoweri Museveni. |
| 2002 September - |
Government breaks
off talks, saying the SPLM/A seizure of the southern town of
Torit had spoiled the atmosphere of talks, and that the SPLM/A
had reopened the issue of the separation of state and religion
by demanding that the capital of Sudan be shari'ah free. |
| 2002 October - |
The government
and the SPLM/A sign a memorandum of understanding, agreeing
to resume talks, and to implement a cessation of hostilities
for the duration of talks. Talks resume. |
| 2002 November - |
Cessation of hostilities
agreement extended until the end of March 2003. MOU signed on
'Aspects of Structures of Government'. Talks adjourned until
January 2003. |
| 2003 |
| 2003 January - |
Talks resume in Nairobi suburb of
Karen. Plans also made for a separate symposium to be held dealing
with the issue of the disputed border territories of southern
Blue Nile, Abyei, and the Nuba Mountains. |
| 2003 January - |
UN negotiates separate bilateral
agreements with the SPLM/A and the Sudanese government to allow
the delivery of humanitarian aid into the disputed region of
Southern Blue Nile for the first time. |
| 2003 March - |
Cessation of hostilities agreement
extended until end of June 2003. |
| 2003 March - |
Semi-autonomous talks take place
on the three disputed border regions of Abyei, Nuba Mountains,
and Southern Blue Nile. |
| 2003 April - |
SPLM/A and government agree to
the opening of corridor along the Nile River to facilitate humanitarian
access. |
| 2003 May - |
Talks resume with the signing of
partnership agreement in administrative arrangements for the
transition period, which outlined specific measures necessary
for building up the humanitarian, security and development needs
of southern Sudan during the first six months of the transitional
period. |
![Sudan- The Road to Peace [photograph UNICEF]](images/sudan_logo2.jpg){kind=logo}