Sadiq al-Mahdi

Sadiq al-Mahdi (Arabic: الصادق المهدي‎), also known as Sadiq as-Siddiq (born December 25, 1935),[1] is a Sudanese political and religious figure who was Prime Minister of Sudan from 1966 to 1967 and again from 1986 to 1989. He is head of the National Umma Party and Imam of the Ansar, a sufi order that pledges allegiance to Muhammad Ahmad, who claimed to be the Mahdi, the messianic saviour of Islam.

Sadiq al-Mahdi
al-Mahdi in 1964
7th Prime Minister of Sudan
In office
6 May 1986 – 30 June 1989
PresidentAhmed al-Mirghani
Preceded byAl-Jazuli Daf'allah
Succeeded byBakri Hassan Saleh (2017)
In office
27 July 1966 – 18 May 1967
PresidentIsmail al-Azhari
Preceded byMuhammad Ahmad Mahgoub
Succeeded byMuhammad Ahmad Mahgoub
Personal details
Born (1935-12-25) December 25, 1935
Al-Abasya, Sudan
Political partyNational Umma Party

Personal life

Sadiq al-Mahdi was born on December 25, 1935 in Al-Abasya, Omdurman, Sudan.[2] He is the paternal grandson of Sayyid Abd al-Rahman al-Mahdi, founder of the Umma party,[3] and great-grandson of Muhammad Ahmad,[4] the Sudanese sufi sheikh of the Ansar and self-proclaimed Mahdi who led the Mahdist War to reclaim Sudan from Anglo-Egyptian rule. He is also the paternal uncle of Sudanese-British actor Alexander Siddig.[5]

Political life

Sadiq al-Mahdi was Prime Minister of Sudan on two occasions: first briefly in 1966-67, and second from 1986 until his ousting on 30 June 1989.

First term as Prime Minister (1966-1967)
See also: First Sudanese Civil War
Sadiq al-Madi in 1987

Second term as Prime Minister (1986-1989)
Main article: History of Sudan (1986–present)

In 1986, Sadiq formed a coalition government comprising the Umma Party (which he led); the National Islamic Front (led by his brother-in-law, Hassan Al-Turabi); the Democratic Unionist Party (led by Mohammed Uthman al-Mirghani al-Khatim); and four small Southern parties. On June 30, 1989, his government was overthrown in a coup led by Brigadier Omar al-Bashir. The post of Prime Minister of Sudan was then abolished.[6]

1989 coup and afterwards
Mahdi in 2015

Mahdi has continued to lead the Umma Party in opposition to Bashir since being ousted in the 30 June 1989 coup d'état led by Omar al-Bashir.[7][8] He spent a period in exile but eventually returned to Sudan in November 2000.[8] He ran unsuccessfully for the 2010 presidential elections, pledging not to hand Bashir to the International Criminal Court to face charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes, arguing that it would destabilise the country.[9]

In 2014 the government alleged that Mahdi had collaborated with rebels, and consequently Mahdi fled to Egypt. He eventually returned to Khartoum on 26 January 2017.[10]

Publishing career

He is the author of a variety of scholarly and political books, including The Southern Question (1964); Speeches in Exile (1976); Questions on Mahadism (1979); Legitimate Penalties and Their Position in the Islamic Social System (1987); Democracy in Sudan: Will Return and Triumph (1990); Challenges of the Nineties (1991).

Education
  • B.Sc Philosophy and Economics Oxford University[2]
  • M.Sc. Politics Oxford University[2]
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See also

References
  1. https://www.alsadigalmahdi.com/السيرة-الذاتية/
  2. "Sadig Al-Mahdi". Club De Madrid. 2007-09-12. Archived from the original on 2007-10-08. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
  3. Gabriel Warburg (2003). Islam, sectarianism, and politics in Sudan since the Mahdiyya. Univ of Wisconsin Press. p. 171. ISBN 0-299-18294-0.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  4. Gamal Nkrumah (15–21 July 2004). "Sadig Al-Mahdi: The comeback king". Al-Ahram. Archived from the original on 23 January 2011. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
  5. Gayle Stever (1998). "Sid's Biography". Sidcity.net.
  6. "FACTBOX – Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir". Reuters. 14 July 2008. Retrieved 16 July 2008.
  7. Lydia Polgreen and Jeffrey Gettleman (July 28, 2008) "Sudan Rallies Behind Leader Reviled Abroad", The New York Times.
  8. Political Parties of the World. 6th edition, 2005, Bogdan Szajkowski (ed.), John Harper, ISBN 0955114403, p. 113.
  9. Maram Mazen (February 1, 2010) Sudanese Candidate Al-Mahdi Wouldn’t Hand Over Bashir to ICC. Bloomberg
  10. "Sudanese opposition leader Sadiq al-Mahdi returns from two-year exile", Reuters, 26 January 2017.
  • Helen Chapin Metz, ed., "Umma Party", Sudan: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1991.
Political offices
Preceded by
Muhammad Ahmad Mahgoub		 Prime Minister of Sudan
1966–1967		 Succeeded by
Muhammad Ahmad Mahgoub
Preceded by
Al-Jazuli Daf'allah		 Prime Minister of Sudan
1986–1989		 Vacant
Title next held by
Bakri Hassan Saleh
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