Government of Sahel

The types of government of the countries in the Sahel region.

Burkina Faso - Parliamentary
Head of State: Blaise Compaore
Prime Minister: Ernest Paramango Yonli

Chad - Republic
President appoints the Prime Minister.
President elected by the people every five years.
President: Idress Deby
Prime Minister: Nagoum Yamassoum


The Gambia – Republic
President is the Head of State
Has a unicameral parliament, which is elected by popular vote.
Head of State/President: Yahya Jammeh

Guinea Bissall – Republic
Elects every five years.
President: Lansana Conte
Prime Minister: Lamine Sidime

Mali – Republic
Presidents are elected to 5 year terms, with a limit of two terms.
National Assembly, sole legislative arm of the government of Mali, currently consists of 116 members.
Prime Minister: Maumoon Abdul
President: Maumoon Abdul

Niger – Republic, emerging for military rule
Prime Minister: Amadou, Hama
President: Tandja, Mamadou

Senegal – Multi-Party Democratic republic
Prime Minister: Seck, Idrissa
President: Wade, Abdoulaye

Sudan – Military Government
President: Al-Bashir, Umar Hasan Ahmad, Lt. Gen.


*Republic: a government in which supreme power resides in a body of citizen entitled to vote and is exercised by elected officers and representatives responsible to them and governing according to law. (dictionary.com)

*Parliamentary: government by a body of cabinet ministers who are chosen from and responsible to the legislature and act as advisers to a nominal chief of state (dictionary.com)

*Military government: a government in defeated territory administered by the military commander of a conquering nation (dictionary.com)

*Democratic Republic: a form of government embodying democratic principles and where a monarch is not the head of state (dictionary.com)