Famous Sudanese Leaders

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This ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet.

Salva Kiir Mayardit

(President of South Sudan)

Birthdate: September 13, 1951

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Bahr el Ghazal

Sudanese rebel leader Salva Kiir Mayardit became the first president of South Sudan. In 2020, he signed an agreement with opposition leader and current vice president Riek Machar to share power and create a unified government, putting an end to a brutal civil war that has seen mass rapes and murders.

John Garang

(Politician)

Birthdate: June 23, 1945

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Twic East County

Died: July 30, 2005

Revolutionary leader and president of Southern Sudan John Garang was the man behind the term "Sudanism," which promoted cohesiveness among the people of Sudan. Orphaned at 10, he completed his education on scholarships but later rejected an offer from UCB to go to Tanzania. He died in a helicopter crash.

Hassan Al-Turabi

(Sudanese Political Leader Who Organized the 1989 Coup that Brought Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir to Power.)

Birthdate: February 1, 1931

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Kassala, Sudan

Died: March 5, 2016

Hassan Al-Turabi was a Sudanese politician who served as the Attorney General of Sudan from 1978 to 1982. He then served as the Foreign Minister in 1989. Hassan Al-Turabi also served as the Speaker of the National Assembly from 1996 to 1999. He is credited with organizing the 1989 Sudanese coup d'état that brought Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir to power.

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Omar al-Bashir

(Former President of Sudan)

Birthdate: January 1, 1944

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Hosh Bannaga, Sudan

Omar al-Bashir is a Sudanese politician who served as the seventh president of Sudan. A former military officer, he is the founder of the National Congress Party that remained the dominant political party in the country until 2019. He was deposed in a coup d'état the same year and subsequently arrested and convicted on multiple corruption charges.

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Ismail al-Azhari

(Third President of Sudan)

Birthdate: October 20, 1900

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Omdurman, Sudan

Died: August 26, 1969

Ismail al-Azhari was a Sudanese political figure and nationalist. He is best remembered for his service as the third President of Sudan from 10 June 1965 to 25 May 1969. An important politician, Ismail al-Azhari also served as the second Prime Minister of Sudan from 6 January 1954 to 5 July 1956.

Mahmoud Mohammed Taha

(Sudanese Political Leader and Religious Thinker)

Birthdate: 1909 AD

Birthplace: Rufaa, Sudan

Died: January 18, 1985

Mahmoud Mohammed Taha was a Sudanese political leader, religious thinker, and trained engineer. He is best remembered for developing the Second Message of Islam, for which he was arrested and executed by the Jaafar Muhammad an-Nimeiry government; Mahmoud Mohammed Taha was found guilty for apostasy.

Ahmed al-Mirghani

(Sixth President of Sudan)

Birthdate: August 16, 1941

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Khartoum, Sudan

Died: November 2, 2008

Ahmed al-Mirghani was a Sudanese politician best remembered for his service as the sixth President of Sudan from 6 May 1986 to 30 June 1989. His term as president came to an end when his government was toppled by the 1989 Sudanese coup d'état, which was led by Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir.

Jaafar Nimeiry

(4th President of Sudan)

Birthdate: April 26, 1928

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Omdurman, Sudan

Died: May 30, 2009

Jaafar Nimeiry was a Sudanese politician best remembered for his service as the President of Sudan from 1971 to 1985. A military officer, Nimeiry came to power after leading a successful coup in 1969. A prominent politician, he also served as the Prime Minister of Sudan on two separate occasions; from 1969 to 1976 and again from 1977 to 1985.

Rebecca Nyandeng De Mabior

(Vice President of South Sudan)

Birthdate: July 15, 1956

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Bor, Republic of the Sudan

Rebecca Nyandeng De Mabior is a South Sudanese politician and the current Vice President of South Sudan. Best known as the wife of John Garang, Rebecca served as the Second Lady of Sudan as well as the First Lady of Southern Sudan in 2005. From 2005 to 2007, she served as the Minister of Roads and Transport of Southern Sudan.

Rābiḥ az-Zubayr

(Sudanese Slave Trader and Warlord Who Founded a Powerful Empire in Today's Chad)

Birthdate: 1842 AD

Birthplace: Khartoum, Sudan

Died: April 22, 1900

Rabih az-Zubayr was a Sudanese slave trader and warlord. He is credited with founding a powerful empire in today's Chad. Rabih az-Zubayr is also credited with conquering the Sultanate of Darfur and the Borno Empire. He also came in conflict with the French, which ultimately led to his downfall.

Khalil Ibrahim

(Sudanese Insurgent Leader and Founder of the 'Justice and Equality Movement')

Birthdate: 1957 AD

Birthplace: Darfur, Sudan

Died: December 23, 2011

Khalil Ibrahim was a Sudanese insurgent leader best remembered for founding the Justice and Equality Movement. He served as the leader of the movement from 2000 until his death on 23 December 2011. Khalil Ibrahim was killed by the Sudan Armed Forces with an air strike.

Osman Digna

(Sudanese Military Commander)

Birthdate: 1840 AD

Birthplace: Sawākin, Sudan

Died: 1926 AD

Osman Digna was a Sudanese military commander who served under Muhammad Ahmad during the Mahdist War. One of Ahmad's best commanders, Digna played a key role in several battles, including the Battle of Tamai and the Battle of Umm Diwaykarat. Osman Digna was respected for his skills at the battlefield by many British statesmen including Winston Churchill.

Mohammed Ali Tewfik

(He was a member of the Muhammad Ali Dynasty)

Birthdate: November 9, 1875

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Cairo, Egypt

Died: March 18, 1955

The son of Tewfik I of the Muhammad Ali dynasty, Mohammed Ali Tewfik was the uncle of Farouk I and his regent. After the declaration of Egypt as a republic, he spent the rest of his life in exile. He loved horse breeding and also penned a book on the subject.

Raja Nicola

(Sudanese Judge Who Served as a Member of the Sovereignty Council of Sudan)

Birthdate: 1950 AD

Birthplace: Omdurman, Sudan

Sudanese judge Raja Nicola was chosen by the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) and the Transitional Military Council (TMC) as their mutually agreed-on sixth civilian member of the eleven-member Sovereignty Council of Sudan that remained Sudan’s collective head of state from August 20, 2019 till October 25, 2021. Nicola was one of the two female members of the council.

Asma Mohamed Abdalla

(First Female Who Served as Sudan’s Foreign Minister During Ongoing Democratic Transition in Sudan)

Birthdate: August 14, 1946

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Khartoum, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan

Sudanese diplomat Asma Mohamed Abdalla served as the first female Foreign Minister of Sudan in the ongoing democratic transition in Sudan that started in July 2019. She held office from September 2019 to July 9, 2020 in the Transitional Cabinet of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. She earlier served as a Sudanese ambassador and was dismissed after 1989 Sudanese coup d'état.

Amin Mekki Medani

(Sudanese Diplomat, Lawyer and Politician)

Birthdate: February 2, 1939

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Wad Madani, Sudan

Died: August 31, 2018

Amin Mekki Medani was a Sudanese diplomat, lawyer, political and human rights activist. He is remembered for his service as the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs from 1985 to 1986. In 1991, he won the Human Rights Watch Award and the American Bar Association Human Rights Award. In 2013, Amin Mekki Medani received the European Union Human Rights Award.

Aisha Musa el-Said

(Sudan's Collective Head of State from 21 August 2019 to 12 May 2021)

Birthplace: El-Obeid, North Kordofan, Sudan

Aisha Musa el-Said is a Sudanese politician, women's rights activist, and translator. She served as Sudan's collective head of state from 21 August 2019 to 12 May 2021. Apart from her political career, Aisha Musa el-Said has also served as a professor in a couple of Saudi universities.

Nemat Abdullah Khair

(First Female Chief Justice of Sudan)

Birthdate: 1957 AD

Birthplace: Al Jazirah, Sudan

Nemat Abdullah Khair is a Sudanese judicial member who is currently serving as the Chief Justice of Sudan. She is the first female Chief Justice of Sudan. Nemat Abdullah Khair is also one of the few female Chief Justices in Africa.

Fatima Abdel Mahmoud

(First Female Minister of Sudan and the First Woman Who Contested the Presidency of Sudan)

Birthdate: July 27, 1944

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Omdurman, Sudan

Died: July 22, 2018

Sudanese politician Professor Dr. Fatima Abdel Mahmoud, leader of the Sudanese Socialist Democratic Union, served as the first female minister of Sudan and is the first woman who contested the Presidency of Sudan. She was inducted as Deputy Minister of Youth, Sports, and Social Affairs in 1973. She contested for Presidency in the 2010 and 2015 general elections in Sudan.

Wala'a Essam al-Boushi

(Sudanese Activist and Politician)

Birthdate: 1986 AD

Birthplace: Wad Madani, Sudan

Wala'a Essam al-Boushi is a Sudanese activist and politician. She is currently serving as the Minister of Youth and Sports and is credited with re-introducing women's football in Sudan. Under Wala'a Essam al-Boushi's ministership, a 21-team women's football league was instigated in Sudan on 30 September 2019.

Victoria Yar Arol

(Sudanese Politician and the First Female Elected to the Regional Assembly for the Bahr el Ghazal Province)

Birthdate: 1948 AD

Birthplace: Sudan

Died: 1980 AD

Victoria Yar Arol was a Sudanese politician who studied at the University of Khartoum, becoming the first woman from South Sudan to do so. A member of the Sudan African National Union, Arol was the first female elected to the regional assembly for the Bahr el Ghazal Province. Victoria Yar Arol is often cited as an inspiration to Sudanese women.

Intisar el-Zein Soughayroun

(Sudanese Politician)

Birthdate: 1958 AD

Birthplace: Khartoum, Sudan

Intisar el-Zein Soughayroun, who took part in the Sudanese Revolution, is the incumbent Minister of Higher Education of Sudan. She assumed office in September 2019 in the Transitional Cabinet of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok in the ongoing democratic transition in Sudan that started in July that year. She also serves as a professor of archeology at the University of Khartoum.

Yousif Kuwa

(Sudanese Revolutionary, Politician, and Rebel Commander)

Birthdate: 1945 AD

Birthplace: Sudan

Died: 2001 AD

Yousif Kuwa was a Sudanese revolutionary, politician, and rebel commander. He is credited with founding Komolo, which was formed to strengthen political and cultural awareness among the Nuba people. In an attempt to acquire equal rights for the Nuba people, Yousif Kuwa joined John Garang's Sudan People's Liberation Army. He then helped form a Nuba humanitarian organization called NRRDO.

Su'ad al-Fatih al-Badawi

(Sudanese Politician and One of the First Women to Join the 'Society of the Muslim Brothers')

Birthdate: January 1, 1932

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: El Obeid, Sudan

Su'ad al-Fatih al-Badawi is a Sudanese politician, academic, and journalist. She is best known for her support of Islamism and her promotion of women's rights. One of the first women to join the Society of the Muslim Brothers, Su'ad al-Fatih al-Badawi also joined the National Islamic Front and represented the party in the National Legislature.

Lena el-Sheikh Mahjoub

(Sudanese Political Leader)

Birthplace: Sudan

Lena el-Sheikh Mahjoub is a Sudanese politician who is currently serving as the Minister of Labour and Social Development. She is also credited with co-founding the Impact Hub Khartoum, which aims at providing a cooperative environment for innovators, intellectuals, and entrepreneurs.

Catarina Zenab

(Sudanese Catholic Missionary)

Birthdate: 1848 AD

Birthplace: Sudan

Died: 1921 AD

Catarina Zenab was a Sudanese Catholic missionary and one of the most influential members of the Dinka people. She is credited with helping the missionaries develop the grammar of the Dinka language. She also helped develop a dictionary of the Dinka language. Catarina Zenab spent most of her life as a missionary in Cairo, Khartoum, and Omdurman.