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Sadiq al-Mahdi
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| In office 1986 – June 30, 1989 |
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| President | Ahmed al-Mirghani |
| Preceded by | al-Jazuli Dafalla |
| Succeeded by | Post Abolished |
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| In office 1966 – 1967 |
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| President | Ismail al-Azhari |
| Preceded by | Muhammad Ahmad Mahgoub |
| Succeeded by | Muhammad Ahmad Mahgoub |
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| Born | 1936 |
| Political party | Umma Party |
Sadiq al-Mahdi (Arabic: الصادق المهدي) (also known as Sadiq Al Siddiq, born 1936) 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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1966 - 1967
Sadiq al-Mahdi was Prime Minister of Sudan on two occasions: first briefly in 1966-67, and second starting in 1986.
First term as Prime Minister
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 extra-territorial military incursion into Sudan from Libya.
1986 - 1989
Second term as Prime Minister
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 Omar Hasan Ahmad al-Bashir. The post of Prime Minister of Sudan was then abolished.
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.
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.
Mahdi has continued to lead the Umma Party, in opposition to Bashir, since his 1989 ouster.[1][2] He spent a period in exile but eventually returned to Sudan in November 2000.[2] 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.[1]
He is also the uncle of Alexander Siddig who is best known for playing Dr. Julian Bashir on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
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.[3]
References
- ^ 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 organization dedicated to strengthening democracy around the world by drawing on the unique experience and resources of its Members – 66 democratic former heads of state and government.
See also
- History of Sudan (Sadiq Al Mahdi and Coalition Governments)
- Second Sudanese Civil War
- Darfur Conflict
Education
- B.Sc Philosophy and Economics Oxford University [1]
- M.Sc. Politics Oxford University[2]
External links
- http://countrystudies.us/sudan/68.htm
- http://sudanhome.com/info/sadiq.htm
- http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2004/699/profile.htm
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