Sadiq al-Mahdi
| Sadiq al-Mahdi | |
|---|---|
| Prime Minister of Sudan | |
| In office May 6, 1986 – June 30, 1989 |
|
| President | Ahmed al-Mirghani |
| Preceded by | al-Jazuli Dafalla |
| Succeeded by | Post Abolished |
| In office July 27, 1966 – May 18, 1967 |
|
| President | Ismail al-Azhari |
| Preceded by | Muhammad Ahmad Mahgoub |
| Succeeded by | Muhammad Ahmad Mahgoub |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 25, 1935 Al-Abasya, Omdurman, Sudan |
| Political party | Umma Party |
Sadiq al-Mahdi (Arabic: الصادق المهدي) (also known as Sadiq Al Siddiq, born December 25, 1935, Al-Abasya, Omdurman, Sudan) is a Sudanese political and religious figure. He is head of the National Umma Party and Imam of the Ansar, a sufi sect that pledges allegiance to Muhammad Ahmad who claimed to be Islam's messianic saviour, or the Mahdi.
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[edit] Personal life
Sadiq al-Mahdi was born on December 25, 1935 in Al-Abasya, Omdurman, Sudan.[1] He is the grandson of Sayyid Abd al-Rahman al-Mahdi, founder of the Umma party,[2] and great-grandson of Mohamed Ahmed Al-Mahdi,[3] the Sudanese sufi sheikh of the Samaniyya order and self-proclaimed Mahdi who led the Mahdist War to liberate Sudan from its Egyptian occupiers. He is also the paternal uncle of Sudanese-British actor Alexander Siddig,[4] who is best known for his role as Dr. Julian Bashir on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
[edit] 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.
[edit] First term as Prime Minister (1966-1967)
[edit] Darfur raid
A controversy erupted in the late 1970s when he armed the Darfuri Arab tribes of Messiria and the Rizeigat as a part of an extraterritorial military incursion into Sudan from Libya. His uncle was killed during an air bombardment Nimeiry ordered on Aba Island.
[edit] Second term as Prime Minister (1986-1989)
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 al-Sayyid Muhammad Othman al-Mirghani); and four small Southern parties. On June 30, 1989, his government was overthrown in a coup led by Colonel Omar al-Bashir. The post of Prime Minister of Sudan was then abolished.
[edit] Currency crisis
During the late 1980s, the Sadiq administration, like his predecessor, failed to arrest the 50 per cent fall in the worth of the Sudanese Pound from 2 to 4 to the US Dollar.
[edit] Nepotism
His tenures in power were mired in instability and controversy including allegations of nepotism and disadherence to due process.
During his second term, many members of Sadiq al-Mahdi's family were given prominent Ministerial roles, including Mubarak al Fadil al Mahdi, who was Interior Minister in the late 1980s, a period during which many human rights abuses have been documented. Sadiq al-Mahdi famously flouted the Sudanese constitution when he spearheaded the campaign to expel the Communist members of Sudan's parliament in the late 1960s.
[edit] 1989 coup and afterwards
Mahdi has continued to lead the Umma Party, in opposition to Bashir, since being ousted in the 30 June 1989 coup d'etat led by Colonel Omar al'Bashir.[5][6] He spent a period in exile but eventually returned to Sudan in November 2000.[6] In July 2008, saying that Sudan faced a very difficult situation, he backed Bashir after the latter was accused of genocide by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.[5]
[edit] 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).
He is a member of the Club of Madrid,[7] and a Board member of the Arab Democracy Foundation.
[edit] Education
- B.Sc Philosophy and Economics Oxford University[1]
- M.Sc. Politics Oxford University[1]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c "Sadig Al-Mahdi". Club De Madrid. 2007-09-12. Archived from the original on 2007-10-08. http://web.archive.org/web/20071008113131/http://www.clubmadrid.org/cmadrid/index.php?id=397. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
- ^ Warburg, Gabriel (2003). Islam, sectarianism, and politics in Sudan since the Mahdiyya. Univ of Wisconsin Press. p. 171. ISBN 0299182940. http://books.google.ca/books?id=3G-7lIvwbLgC&pg=PA171.
- ^ Gamal Nkrumah (15–21 July 2004). "Sadig Al-Mahdi: The comeback king". Al-Ahram. http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2004/699/profile.htm. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
- ^ Gayle Stever (1998, 2008). "Sid’s Biography". Sidcity.net. http://sidcity.net/?page_id=32. Retrieved 2011-01-23.
- ^ a b Lydia Polgreen and Jeffrey Gettleman, "Sudan Rallies Behind Leader Reviled Abroad", The New York Times, July 28, 2008.
- ^ a b Political Parties of the World (6th edition, 2005), ed. Bogdan Szajkowski, page 113.
- ^ (English) The Club of Madrid is an independent non-profit organization composed of 81 democratic former Presidents and Prime Ministers from 57 different countries. It constitutes the world´s largest forum of former Heads of State and Government, who have come together to respond to a growing demand for support among leaders in democratic leadership, governance, crisis and post-crisis situations. All lines of work share the common goal of building functional and inclusive societies, where the leadership experience of our Members is most valuable.
[edit] External links
- Helen Chapin Metz, ed.,"Umma Party", Sudan: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1991.
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