Mubarak al Fadil al Mahdi
Encyclopedia
Mubarak Abdullahi El-Fadil El-Mahdi commonly known as Mubarak El-Fadil is an Economist
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...

 and prominent Politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

, Chairman of the Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...

ese UMMA Party
Umma Party (Sudan)
The National Umma Party Sudan is an Islamic centrist political party in Sudan.-Foundation:In August 1944 Sayyid Abd al-Rahman al-Mahdi, leader of the Ansar, met with senior Congress members and tribal leaders to discuss formation of a pro-independence political party that was not associated with...

. He was appointed to several important political and executive positions in the Democratic Government of Sudan during the period 1986-1989.

A staunch advocate of democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...

, he played a key role in the political opposition to ruling military governments in Sudan – both during the Numeiri dictatorship and later during the military rule of the Islamist government. He was instrumental in founding the National Democratic Alliance
National Democratic Alliance (Sudan)
The National Democratic Alliance is a group of 13 political parties that formed in 1989 to oppose the new regime of Omar Hassan al-Bashir after he seized power in a military coup on June 6, 1989. The NDA signed a deal with the Sudanese government on June 18, 2005, following a peace agreement to...

 (NDA) and forming an alliance between Umma Party and Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) that led to the SPLM joining the Alliance. He was later elected Secretary General of the movement in 1995.
In recognition of the need to reach a peaceful settlement to the civil conflict in Sudan, he engineered and signed the Djibouti Agreement between the Islamist ruling Sudanese military government and the Umma Party.

In his drive to instill renewed thinking and political direction in the Umma Party, he formed and was elected Chairman of the movement for Reform and Renewal within the Umma Party. The Party later participated in a coalition government
Coalition government
A coalition government is a cabinet of a parliamentary government in which several political parties cooperate. The usual reason given for this arrangement is that no party on its own can achieve a majority in the parliament...

 with the ruling National Congress Party
National Congress (Sudan)
The National Congress or National Congress Party ' is the governing official political party of Sudan. It is headed by Omar al-Bashir, who has been President of Sudan since he seized power in a military coup on 30 June 1989, and began institutionalizing Sharia law at a national level...

 in which he served, for a short time, as Assistant President. In disagreement with government on policies and practices including the Darfur
Darfur
Darfur is a region in western Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1916. The region is divided into three federal states: West Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur...

 and Eastern Sudan conflicts, Sayed Mubarak El-Mahdi returned to the ranks of the opposition where he was vocal in pointing to the wrong doings of the regime and actively campaigned for return to democracy and a peaceful and just resolution to the country’s conflicts in the Darfur region and the East.

In this endeavor, he was instrumental to the formation of the Juba Alliance
Juba Valley Alliance
The Juba Valley Alliance is a political faction of the Somali Civil War. It was the primary opponent of the Somali Patriotic Movement and the Somali Reconciliation and Restoration Council vying for the control of Kismayo and the Juba River valley, the area known as Jubaland.Following the...

 of Political Forces, to which he is a leading member. This alliance has brought closer southern and northern political forces and was born out of the Conference of Political Parties held in Juba
Juba
- Locations :* Juba, the capital of South Sudan* Juba, Estonia, a village in Võru Parish, Võru County, Estonia- People :* Juba I of Numidia * Juba II of Numidia * Juba of Mauretania...

 in September 2009; this conference was both conceptualized and coordinated by Sayed Mubarak El-Fadil El-Mahdi.

He is currently a leading candidate for President of Sudan in elections due to be held in 2010.

His late father, Sayed Abdullahi El-Fadil El-Mahdi was the only son of the eldest son of the Imam El-Mahdi who was martyred in the battle of Shukkaba of 1899.

Sayed Abdullahi El-Fadil El-Mahdi, together with his late uncle Imam Abdel-Rahman El-Mahdi established the Al-Ansar entity and the economic enterprise of the ElMahdi family. He played a key role in the battle for independence, leading negotiations with the Egyptian government during 1952-1953, which culminated in the signing of the Convention on the independence of the Sudan with General Mohamed Naguib, President of the Egyptian Revolutionary Command Council
Egyptian Revolutionary Command Council
The Revolutionary Command Council was the body established to supervise Egypt and Sudan after the Revolution of 1952. It initially selected Ali Maher Pasha as Prime Minister, but forced him to resign after conflict over land reform. At that time, the Council took full control of Egypt...

 at the time.

Date and Place of Birth: Khartoum
Khartoum
Khartoum is the capital and largest city of Sudan and of Khartoum State. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile flowing north from Lake Victoria, and the Blue Nile flowing west from Ethiopia. The location where the two Niles meet is known as "al-Mogran"...

, Sudan - 03/2/1950
Status: Married with three sons and one daughter

Education & experience

• Camboni College Khartoum, 1957–1968

• National College Choueifat
Choueifat
Choueifat is a suburb southeast of Beirut in Lebanon. The town is a Druze and Christian enclave that lies on the eastern side of Beirut's airport...

 – Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...

, 1968–1970

• American University - Beirut, 1971–1973

• Schiller University (Bachelor of International Business and Economics) - Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, 1973–1975

Practical and Organizational Experience

1975–1976

• Worked in the private sector as Assistant Director of the Sudan Chemical Industries Company.

• Contributed to the organization and management of the National Front-led July 2, 1976 movement to overthrow President Numeiri.

• Sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...

 and confiscation of property, for his role in the movement of July 2, 1976. He had left the country through the Eastern border to Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...

, where he joined the external opposition forces.

Sept. 1977: Returned to Sudan following the National Reconciliation
National Reconciliation
National Reconciliation is the term used for establishment of so-called 'national unity' in countries beset with political problems. In Afghanistan Mohammad Najibullah's proposals for national unification started in 1987 and ended early in the 1990s to stop the Afghan civil war which had haunted...

 between Sayed Sadiq al-Mahdi and President Numeiri.

1978–1982: Took over management of the private sector Sudan Chemical Industries and Medical Products companies as Director General and Managing Director.

1982–1985: Devoted himself to private business where he established his own trading company.

Sept. 1983 – Dec. 1984: Arrested with Sayed Sadiq al-Mahdi and detained at Kober prison by President Jaafar Numeiri for opposing the so called Islamic Laws.

1985: Foreign Relations Secretary – coordinated Umma Party Regional Relations (Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...

, Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....

, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

 and Ethiopia).

April 1986: Elected as a member in the Constituent Assembly (Parliament) representing the Tandelti constituency of the White Nile State
White Nile (state)
White Nile is one of the 15 wilayat or states of Sudan. It has an area of 30,411 km2 and an estimated population of approximately 1,188,707 . Since 1994 Rabak is the capital of the state; other important cities include Kosti and Ed Dueim....

.

Official Government Positions

April 1986: Elected as a Member of Parliament

May 1986- May 1988: Minister of Industry

June 1988- Feb. 1989: Minister of Economy and Foreign Trade

July 1988 – Feb. 1989: Minister of Energy and Mining (in addition to Minister of Economy and Foreign Trade)

Feb. 1989 - June 1989: Minister of Interior

1986–1989: Member of the Ministerial Economic Cabinet.

1988–1989: Member of the Council of Defense and National Security Council.

1986–1989: Served as Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs.

1986–1989: Served as Alternate Minister for Finance and Economic Planning.

1986–1989: Served as Alternate Minister for Presidential Affairs

Aug. 2002 – Oct. 2004: Assistant President of Sudan

Ministerial Term Responsibilities

1985 - 1989: Coordinator of political relations with the Federal Republic of Germany in cooperation with the German Minister of State for International Relations.

1986–1989:

• Coordination of US-Sudan relations with the U.S. Administration.

• Coordination of Sudanese-Saudi relations and Umma Party relations with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as the
representative of the Prime Minister.

• Coordination of relations between Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 and Sudan, where he served as President of the Sudanese delegation in the Joint Parliamentary Committee between Japan and Sudan.

• Coordination of China-Sudan relations, chaired the Ministerial Committee and the Joint China-Sudan Friendship Association headed by Sudan. Led the Sudanese military delegation which reached an agreement with China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 to re-arm the Sudanese
army in February 1989.

• Chair of the Joint Ministerial Committee with the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Jamahiriya
Jamahiriya may refer to:* a concept in the Political philosophy of Muammar Gaddafi* the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya ruled by Gaddafi * a Savage Republic album, see Jamahiriya Democratique et Populaire de Sauvage-See also:...

 and coordinator of Libyan-Sudanese relations.

• Chaired the joint committee between Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....

 and Sudan, worked as a coordinator for relations between the two countries.

• Coordinator of Sudanese-Ethiopian relations, and special envoy of Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi to Ethiopian President Mengistu Haile Mariam
Mengistu Haile Mariam
Mengistu Haile Mariam is a politician who was formerly the most prominent officer of the Derg, the Communist military junta that governed Ethiopia from 1974 to 1987, and the President of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia from 1987 to 1991...

.

Dec. 1986 – Jan. 1987: Led negotiations with President Mohamed Hosny Mubarak to restore fractured Egypt- Sudan relations. This led to President Sadiq al-Mahdi’s visit to Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...

 in 1987.

Aug. 1987: Member of the Sudanese delegation which took part in negotiations with the IMF and World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...

 in Khartoum. Played an important role in the outcome of these meetings which led to a restoration of Sudan's economic relations and renewed cooperation with the IMF and World Bank. These relations were suspended in the era of President Jaafar Numeiri in 1984.

1988: Led negotiations with American Company Chevron
Chevron Corporation
Chevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation headquartered in San Ramon, California, United States and active in more than 180 countries. It is engaged in every aspect of the oil, gas, and geothermal energy industries, including exploration and production; refining,...

 for secure Oil Exploration and Extraction in South and South West Sudan.

July – Aug. 1988: Led the Sudan negotiations to settle trade debts of $ 2 billion owed to 155 banks with Morgan Greenfield (Advisor) and reached an agreement with the creditors’ representative for payment of debts over four years at a discount of up to 90% (this debt was accumulated by the regime of Jaafar Numeiri and resulted in the Sudan’s blacklisting in international monetary circles, depriving the country of any international funding).

Aug. 1988: Led the Sudanese delegation responsible for reaching a renewal agreement with the IMF and World Bank in Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

.

Dec. 1988 - May 1989: Participated with the Ethiopian Minister of the Interior in the drafting of a Peace and Cooperation Treaty between Ethiopia and Sudan to provide for a peaceful solution to the issues of Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...

 and southern Sudan, and put an end to conflicts between Ethiopia and Sudan, commissioned by the Sudanese Prime Minister and President of Ethiopia.

Political and Party Positions/Initiatives

1977-1995: Member of the Political Bureau of the Umma Party

1985-1996: Umma Party Secretary for Foreign Affairs.

1986: Re-elected as a member of the Political Bureau of the Umma Party in the Party’s General Convention as one of just ten members elected through free and direct election by the Convention.

1986–1989: Member of the Constitutional Positions Committee to form a coalition government between the Umma Party and Democratic Unionist Party.

1986-1989: Member of the Executive Council of the Umma Party

1988: Led the negotiations to expand the government to the parliamentary opposition - the Islamic Front party - which paved the way to its entry into the Government of Sayed Sadiq al-Mahdi in May 1988.

July 1989: Left Sudan, following the June 1989 military coup d’état, through the Western Borders. Founded the opposition National Democratic Alliance
National Democratic Alliance (Sudan)
The National Democratic Alliance is a group of 13 political parties that formed in 1989 to oppose the new regime of Omar Hassan al-Bashir after he seized power in a military coup on June 6, 1989. The NDA signed a deal with the Sudanese government on June 18, 2005, following a peace agreement to...

 (NDA).

Dec. 1989: Formed alliance between Umma Party and Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM). This agreement opened the door to the SPLM under the leadership of Dr. John Garang
John Garang
John Garang de Mabior was a Sudanese politician and rebel leader. From 1983 to 2005, he led the Sudan People's Liberation Army during the Second Sudanese Civil War, and following a peace agreement he briefly served as First Vice President of Sudan from January 2005 until he died in a July 2005...

 joining the NDA at a meeting held in Cairo in March 1990 during which an agreement was reached to halt fighting between the Sudan People’s Liberation Army and Arab tribes along the border between North and South Sudan.

Dec. 1989–1992: Founded the National Democratic Alliance outside Sudan. Member and Umma Party representative of the Higher Coordinating Committee of the Cairo-based National Democratic Alliance.

1989 - 1996: Established Regional UMMA Party Offices / Branches (Washington, London, Cairo, Toronto, Chad, Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Kampala and several Arab Countries)

Sept. 1990: Contributed effectively in the compilation of the previous leadership of the so-called “Ana al-Sudan”, or the legitimate leadership of the armed forces led by General Fathi Ahmed Ali, a former head of the Sudanese army.

Sept. 1990: Founded NDA Radio Station in Ethiopia under the administration of the Umma Party in an agreement with the Ethiopian authorities that held up until the fall of the Mengistu regime.

Jan. 1991: Reached an agreement with the Egyptian government to publicly open the offices of the Umma Party and the opposition coalition in Cairo.

May 1991: Reached an agreement with the Kenyan government to open an Umma Party office in Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...

 in place of the Party’s Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...

 Office that closed with the fall of the Mengistu regime.

Sept. 1991: Organized with Former US President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...

, an International Conference on the political situation in Sudan, held in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...

. Participants included UN Secretary General, African Union Secretary General, Representatives of European Parliament and Representatives of the US Government.

Dec. 1994: Engineered and signed the Chukudum Agreement with the SPLM. The agreement formed the foundation for the later Asmara Opposition Party Agreement and Sudan Peace Agreement.

Dec. 1994: Organized and played a key role in the agreement of the three major Sudanese political powers of the Umma Party - the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement - Democratic Unionist Party in Asmara
Asmara
Asmara is the capital city and largest settlement in Eritrea, home to a population of around 579,000 people...

.

March 1995: Led a delegation of the Umma Party to the Conference of African Political Parties in Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...

.

June 1995: Elected Secretary General of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) – an umbrella for Sudan opposition parties.

Nov. 1995: Organized an International Conference on Peace and Democracy in Sudan with Christian Union, held at the United Kingdom House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....

and attended by representatives of the IGAD countries, Egypt, the United States, Britain, France, Canada, Norway, Italy and the Netherlands. The conference was observed by members of the Houses of Lords and Commons.

2000: Engineered and signed the Djibouti Agreement between the Ruling Sudanese military government and the Umma Party, (under Sadiq al-Mahdi’s leadership). Returned to Sudan in April 2000 for the first time since the 1989 military coup.

July 2002: Elected Chairman of the Federal leadership of the Umma Party at the Party’s Extraordinary Convention.

July 2007: Arrested and detained for seven months at Kober Prison by the ruling National Congress Party

May 2009: Elected Chairman of the Umma Party at the Party’s Third Convention.

Sept 2009: Instrumental to the formation of the Juba Alliance of Political Forces, to which he is a leading member. This alliance has brought closer southern and northern political forces and was born out of the Conference of Political Parties held in Juba in September 2009; this conference was both conceptualized and coordinated by Sayed Mubarak El-Fadil El-Mahdi.

Feb. 2010: A leading candidate for President of Sudan in elections due to be held in 2010.

External links

  • http://www.ummaparty.org.sd
  • http://www.mubarakforchange.com
  • http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=277777757997
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