Former Sudanese Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi has died from a coronavirus infection.
He was 84.
In a brief statement, al-Mahdi’s family said he died on Thursday, three weeks after being admitted to hospital in the United Arab Emirates.
Al-Mahdi was Sudan’s last democratically elected prime minister and was overthrown in 1989 in the military coup that brought former President Omar al-Bashir to power.
The moderate Umma Party was one of the largest opposition parties under al-Bashir, and al-Mahdi remained an influential figure even after he was toppled.
Last month, al-Mahdi’s family said he had tested positive for COVID-19, and after a few days in hospital in Sudan, he was transferred to the United Arab Emirates for treatment.
In a statement, the Umma Party said al-Mahdi would be buried on Friday morning in the city of Omdurman in Sudan
“We offer our condolences to the Sudanese people over his death,” the party said.
