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Ahmad Al-Mirghani
أحمد الميرغني |
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| In office 6 May 1986 – 30 June 1989 |
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| Preceded by | Abdul Rahman Swar al-Dahab |
| Succeeded by | Omar Hasan Ahmad al-Bashir |
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| Born | August 16, 1941 |
| Died | November 2, 2008 (aged 67) Alexandria, Egypt |
| Political party | Democratic Unionist Party |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
(Al-sayyid) Ahmad Al-Mirghani (Arabic: أحمد الميرغني, 16 August 1941 – November 2, 2008) was the President of Sudan from May 6, 1986 to June 30, 1989, when the democratically elected government was toppled by a military coup led by the current President Omar al-Bashir.
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Early life
Al-Mirghani was the scion of the venerated Mirghani family of Sudan and the great-great grandson of Al Sayyid Muhammad Othman Al-Mirghani AlKhatm. He graduated with a First class degree from the University of London and returned to Sudan. He progressed through a professional career until the elections of 1986 when he was elected as the President of the country. Although the former regime of Jaffar Nimeiri attempted to gain his support and added his name to the member of the Socialist Union he has never participated in its activities. He played a major role in convincing the late King Faisal of Saudi Arabia to travel and meet president Naser of Egypt in Sudan in the famous 1967 Khartoum summit.
Presidency
Al-Mirghani was elected President of Sudan in 1986 during the country's last democratic elections. He was unseated in a 1989 coup led by the current president Omar al-Bashir.[1]
He was a truly uniting figure with an open mind and a welcoming attitude towards a whole spectrum of views. Such were the qualities which gained him the respect and indeed the support of almost all the political figures in Sudan. He was known to have not received his salary for months during his presidency for which he never mentioned to anybody until later discovered by the new regime. He personally intervened in the aid efforts during the eighties wheat and fuel crisis and through his personal contacts managed to import a quantity equivalent to 6 months supply for the whole nation and until this moment in time it is not clear who paid for the costs. He was also held in high regard in western circles for his straight talk and honest approach in managing dialogues. The British ambassador in Khartoum has described him as a great statesman who was a true Islamic leader.
Later years
Following the coup Al-Mirghani lived in Alexandria, Egypt. He returned to Sudan shortly before his death and lobbied for peace on the War in Darfur.[1] He actively worked on the Darfur file and was chosen as the head of the Darfur Circle in the Democratic Unionist Party. His final trip abroad was to Libya where he held a number of meetings with the rebel groups and the Libyan leadership regarding the solutions to the Western Sudan problem.
Death
Al-Mirghani died in Egypt on November 2, 2008 at the age of 67. Several Sudanese politicians including the president travelled to the Mirghani base in Khartoum to mourn the former president.[1] His body was flown to Khartoum on November 5, and his funeral was held there on the same day. The funeral procession travelled from the airport in the south of the capital Khartoum through the city streets to the north of the capital, where he was buried.[2]
References
- ^ a b c Osman, Mohamed (2008-11-03). "Former Sudan president dies in Egypt". Associated Press (eTaiwan News). http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=779914. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
- ^ "Sudan mourns former president", AFP (IOL), November 5, 2008.
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