1. Sadiq al-Mahdi, known as Sadiq as-Siddiq, was a Sudanese political and religious figure who was Prime Minister of Sudan from 1966 to 1967 and again from 1986 to 1989.
23 Facts About Sadiq al-Mahdi
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Sadiq al-Mahdi was 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.
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Sadiq al-Mahdi was Prime Minister of Sudan on two occasions: first briefly between 1966 and 1967 and second from 1986 until his ousting on 30 June 1989.
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Mahgoub's resignation split the Umma party into two factions: the opposition faction was led by Mahgoub and endorsed by Sadiq's uncle, the Imam al-Hadi al-Mahdi, while Sadiq led the faction that was willing to work with the NUP.
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Sadiq al-Mahdi supported regional development and greater autonomy for the southern provinces.
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In May 1967, Sadiq al-Mahdi lost the support of his coalition partners, and Mahgoub returned as prime minister in a coalition with the National Unionist Party and the People's Democratic Party.
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From abroad, Sadiq al-Mahdi formed an opposition organization known as the National Front.
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Sadiq al-Mahdi then returned and started forming an opposition to Nimeiry's Sudanese Socialist Union.
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However, this coalition proved to be unstable, preventing Sadiq al-Mahdi from delivering on his promises to end the Second Sudanese Civil War and fix the ongoing economic crisis.
10.
Sadiq al-Mahdi continued to lead the Umma Party in opposition to Bashir after being ousted.
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Sadiq al-Mahdi spent a period in exile, but eventually returned to Sudan in November 2000.
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Sadiq al-Mahdi 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 on the grounds that it would destabilize the country.
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In 2014, the government alleged that Sadiq al-Mahdi had collaborated with rebels, forcing him to flee to Egypt.
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Sadiq al-Mahdi eventually returned to Khartoum on 26 January 2017.
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Sadiq al-Mahdi affirmed his party's support for the protests and confirmed that they would not be part of any future civilian transitional government.
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Sadiq al-Mahdi opined that Sudan should join the International Criminal Court and hand over Bashir to face charges.
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In May 2019, Sadiq al-Mahdi announced his retirement from electoral politics.
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Sadiq al-Mahdi was born on 25 December 1935 in Al-Abasya, Omdurman, Sudan.
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Sadiq al-Mahdi was the paternal grandson of Sayyid Abd al-Rahman al-Mahdi, founder of the Umma Party, and great-grandson of Muhammad Ahmad, the Sudanese sheikh of the Ansar and self-proclaimed Mahdi who started the Mahdist War to end Egyptian rule in Sudan.
20.
Sadiq al-Mahdi was the paternal uncle of Sudanese-British actor Alexander Siddig.
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Sadiq al-Mahdi married twice and had ten children, including a son named Siddig after his grandfather al-Imam al-Siddiq, born in 1968, who is a leader in National Umma Party, and a daughter, Mariam, who is the leader of the National Umma Party.
22.
On 26 November 2020, Sadiq al-Mahdi died of complications from COVID-19, after being admitted to a hospital in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, for nearly a month.
23.
Sadiq al-Mahdi was the author of a variety of scholarly and political books, including The Southern Question ; Speeches in Exile ; Questions on Mahadism ; Legitimate Penalties and Their Position in the Islamic Social System ; Democracy in Sudan: Will Return and Triumph ; Challenges of the Nineties.