Sudan's last democratically elected prime minister dies of COVID-19

Nov. 26 (UPI) -- Sadiq al-Mahdi, the last democratically elected prime minister of Sudan, died Thursday from complications related to COVID-19. He was 84 years old.

Al-Mahdi died in a hospital in the United Arab Emirates where he was receiving treatment for the coronavirus, the National Umma Party said.

He led the Umma Party until his death after serving as prime minister twice, once during the 1960s and again from 1986 until he was overthrown in a coup in 1989.

Al-Mahdi remained a fierce critic of President Omar al-Bashir, who rose to power after al-Mahdi was forced out of office. Bashir was also overthrown in a coup last year and sentenced to two years in prison.

Earlier this year, al-Mahdi condemned U.S. President Donald Trump for brokering a deal to have Sudan begin normalizing ties with Israel. The agreement "contributes to the elimination of the peace project in the Middle East and to preparing for the ignition of a new war."

Al-Mahdi was also a descendant of the 19th-century religious leader "The Mahdi of Khartoum" and led the Ansar Sufi order, one of Sudan's largest religious groups.