Leading Sudanese politician and former prime minister Sadiq al-Mahdi has died from a coronavirus infection, three weeks after being hospitalised in the United Arab Emirates.
Sudanese media, including Al-Sudani newspaper, reported on Thursday the news of the death of the prominent politician, stating that “the leader of the Umma Party, Imam Al-Ansar and prominent Sudanese leader, Sadiq Al-Siddiq Al-Mahdi (85) years old, died after being infected with the coronavirus earlier this month.”
The newspaper pointed out that Al-Mahdi’s health had deteriorated in the last few hours, after suffering from severe pneumonia, as a result of complications from the virus.”
The Sudanese National Umma Party confirmed the death of its leader.
Sadiq al-Mahdi was the last democratically elected prime minister in the country, before his ouster by Omar al-Bashir in 1989. After the coup, he continued to lead political opposition to Omar al-Bashir’s rule up until the very end.