Famous people from Sudan
Here is a list of famous people from Sudan. Curious if anybody from Sudan made it our most famous people in the world list? Read the aformentioned article in order to find out.
Omar al-Bashir
Military Commander
Field Marshall Omar Hassan Ahmad Al-Bashir is the President of Sudan and the head of the National Congress Party. He came to power in 1989 when he, as a brigadier in the Sudanese army, led a group of officers in a bloodless military coup that ousted the government of Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi when the country was at the risk of entering a countrywide famine. Since then he has been elected three times as President. In 2010, Sudan was considered the 17th-fastest-growing economy in the world. Major projects achieved include the construction of the Merowe Dam; the heightening and lengthening of the Roseires Dam; large expansion in electricity generation; the construction of five new bridges across the River Nile; the construction of a relatively large number of highways and roads compared to previous presidents; drilling oil and building oil refineries and oil pipes; the establishment of 36 new universities; major improvements and expansions in domestic water pipelines and services; the building of an automobile manufacturing industry; the building of an aircraft manufacturing industry; introducing a legal system based on Sharia law; and negotiating a peace agreement with the South.
Manute Bol
Basketball Center
Manute Bol was a Sudanese-born basketball player and political activist. At 7 ft 7 in tall, he was one of the tallest men ever to play in the National Basketball Association, along with Gheorghe Mureşan. He was officially measured and listed at 7 feet, 6 3/4 inches tall in the Guinness Book of World Records. He is believed to have been born on October 16, 1962 in either Turalei or Gogrial, Sudan. He was the son of a Dinka tribal elder who gave him the name "Manute", which means "special blessing." Bol played basketball for many teams over his career. He played for two colleges and four NBA teams. A center, he was known as a specialist player; he was considered among the best shot-blockers in the history of the sport, but other aspects of his game were considered fairly weak. Over the course of his career he blocked more shots than he scored points. He is second all-time in NBA history in terms of average shots blocked per game, and ranks 15th on the career blocks list.
Alexander Siddig
Actor
Siddig El Tahir El Fadil El Siddig Abderrahman Mohammed Ahmed Abdel Karim El Mahdi is a Sudanese-born English actor, also known as Siddig El Fadil and his stage name Alexander Siddig. He is known for playing Dr. Julian Bashir in the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and for his performances as Prince Nasir Al-Subaai in Syriana and as Imad ad-Din al-Isfahani in Kingdom of Heaven.
Muhammad Naguib
Politician
Muhammad Naguib was the first President of Egypt, serving from the declaration of the Republic on 18 June 1953 to 14 November 1954. Along with Gamal Abdel Nasser, he was the primary leader of the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, which ended the rule of the Muhammad Ali Dynasty in Egypt and Sudan. Disagreements with Nasser led to his forced removal from office, and subsequent 18 year house arrest until his release by President Anwar Sadat in 1972.
Salva Kiir Mayardit
Politician
Salva Kiir Mayardit is a South Sudanese politician who has been President of South Sudan since its independence in 2011. Prior to independence, he was President of the Government of Southern Sudan, as well as First Vice President of Sudan, from 2005 to 2011.
Gaafar Nimeiry
Politician
Gaafar Muhammad an-Nimeiry was the President of Sudan from 1969 to 1985. A military officer, he came to power after a military coup in 1969. With his party, the Sudanese Socialist Union, he initially pursued socialist and Pan-Arabist policies. In 1972 he signed the Addis Ababa Agreement, ending the First Sudanese Civil War. He later became an ally of the United States. In the late 1970s he moved towards Islamism, and in 1983 he imposed Sharia law throughout the country, precipitating the Second Sudanese Civil War. He was ousted from power in 1985 and went to exile in Egypt. He returned in 1999 and ran in the Presidential elections in 2000, but did poorly.
Muhammad Ahmad
Politician
Muhammad Ahmad bin Abd Allah was a religious leader of the Samaniyya order in Sudan who, on June 29, 1881, proclaimed himself as the Mahdi or messianic redeemer of the Islamic faith. His proclamation came during a period of widespread resentment among the Sudanese population of the oppressive policies of the Turco-Egyptian rulers, and capitalized on the messianic beliefs popular among the various Sudanese religious sects of the time. More broadly, the Mahdiyya, as Muhammad Ahmad's movement was called, was influenced by earlier Mahdist movements in West Africa, as well as Wahabism and other puritanical forms of Islamic revivalism that developed in reaction to the growing military and economic dominance of the European powers throughout the 19th century. From his announcement of the Mahdiyya in June 1881 until the fall of Khartoum in January 1885, Muhammad Ahmad led a successful military campaign against the Turco-Egyptian government of the Sudan. During this period, many of the theological and political doctrines of the Mahdiyya were established and promulgated among the growing ranks of the Mahdi's supporters, the Ansars. After Muhammad Ahmad's unexpected death on 22 June 1885, a mere six months after the conquest of Khartoum, his chief deputy, Abdallahi ibn Muhammad took over the administration of the nascent Mahdist state.
Hassan al-Turabi
Politician
Hassan 'Abd Allah al-Turabi, is a religious and Islamist political leader in Sudan, who may have been instrumental in institutionalizing sharia in the northern part of the country. He has been called a "longtime hard-line ideological leader". Al-Turabi was leader of the National Islamic Front, a political movement with considerable political power in Sudan but little popularity among voters. In 1979 he became Minister of Justice. In June 1989, a coup d'état by his allies, the "National Salvation Revolution", brought him and the National Islamic Front to power. In March 1996, al-Turabi was elected to a seat in the National Assembly, where he served as speaker during the 1990s. This period coincided with a decline in the influence of al-Turabi and his party's "internationalist and ideological wing" in favor of more pragmatic leaders, brought on by the imposition of UN sanctions on Sudan in punishment for Sudan's assistance to Egyptian terrorists in their attempt to assassinate Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Al-Turabi was imprisoned in the Kobar prison in Khartoum in March 2004 on the orders of his one-time ally President Omar al-Bashir. He was released on 28 June 2005.
Josephine Bakhita
Deceased Person
Josephine Margaret Bakhita, F.D.C.C., was a Sudanese-born former slave who became a Canossian Religious Sister in Italy, living and working there for 45 years. In 2000 she was declared a saint by the Roman Catholic Church.
Zeinab Badawi
Presenter
Zeinab Badawi is a Sudanese-British television and radio journalist. She was the first presenter of the ITV Morning News, and co-presented Channel 4 News with Jon Snow, before joining BBC News. Badawi is currently the presenter of World News Today broadcast on both BBC Four and BBC World News, and Reporters, a weekly showcase of reports from the BBC.
Tayeb Salih
Novelist
Tayeb Salih was a Sudanese writer.
Mo Ibrahim
Businessperson
Dr. Mohamed "Mo" Ibrahim is a Sudanese-British mobile communications entrepreneur and billionaire. He worked for several other telecommunications companies before founding Celtel, which when sold had over 24 million mobile phone subscribers in 14 African countries. After selling Celtel in 2005 for $3.4 billion, he set up the Mo Ibrahim Foundation to encourage better governance in Africa, as well as creating the Mo Ibrahim Index, to evaluate nations' performance. He is also a member of the Africa Regional Advisory Board of London Business School. In 2007 he initiated the Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership, which awards a $5 million initial payment, and a $200,000 annual payment for life to African heads of state who deliver security, health, education and economic development to their constituents and democratically transfer power to their successors. Dr Ibrahim has pledged to give at least half of his wealth to charity by joining the The Giving Pledge.
Abdullah Senussi
Man
Abdullah Senussi is a Libyan national who was the intelligence chief and brother-in-law of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. He was married to Gaddafi's sister-in-law. Scottish police officers plan to interview him in connection with the Lockerbie bombing, raising the prospect of a second Lockerbie trial.
Anusha Dandekar
Actor
Anusha Dandekar is an Indian VJ, actress and singer.
Al-Sadiq al-Mahdi
Politician
Sadiq al-Mahdi is a Sudanese political and religious figure who was Prime Minister of Sudan from 1966 to 1967 and again from 1986 to 1989. He is head of the National Umma Party and Imam of the Ansar, a sufi sect that pledges allegiance to Muhammad Ahmad, who claimed to be Islam's messianic saviour, or the Mahdi.
Abubaker Kaki Khamis
Olympic Track and field Athlete
Abubaker Kaki Khamis is a Sudanese runner who specializes in the 800 metres. He is a two-time World Indoor Champion over the distance and also won gold at the 2007 All-Africa Games. He represented Sudan at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Joseph Lagu
Politician
Joseph Lagu is a South Sudanese military man and politician. He belongs to the Madi ethnic group of South Sudan. In May 1960 he graduated from military college in Omdurman and was commissioned an officer in the Sudanese Army and posted to 10th Brigade, Northern Command. In the period 1978–1979, Lagu served as the second President of the High Executive Council of the Southern Sudan Autonomous Region.
Majak Daw
Australian Rules Footballer
Majak Daw is a professional Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League. Daw and his family in Australia are refugees from the civil wars in Sudan. Daw became the first Sudanese Australian to be drafted to an AFL club when he was contracted to the North Melbourne Football Club in the 2009 AFL Draft. Daw's drafting gained international attention: it was reported by the BBC and the Voice of America. Daw made his first appearance for North Melbourne in an NAB Cup match on 20 February 2011. Daw signed a new contract at the end of the 2011 season that will keep him at the North Melbourne Football Club for 2 more years.
Abdel Rahman Swar al-Dahab
Politician
Field Marshal Abdel Rahman Suwar al-Dahab was the President of Sudan from April 6, 1985 to May 6, 1986. Born in the town of Omdurman in 1934, he graduated from the Sudanese Military Academy. He became a prominent figure when former president Gaafar Nimeiry appointed him Chief of Staff, and then Minister of Defence and general commander of the armed forces in 1984. In 1985 he launched a coup ousting President Gaafar Nimeiry leading to him becoming the Chairman of the Transitional Military Council. Following elections, he surrendered power to the government of Sadiq al-Mahdi in 1986. In 1987, he became Chairman of the Islamic Call Organization. As of September 2010, he still holds that post.
Ismail Ahmed Ismail
Olympic Track and field Athlete
Ismail Ahmed Ismail is a Sudanese runner, who specializes in the 800 metres. He was born in Khartoum. Ismail reached the final in that event at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. He competed at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, where he won the silver medal in 800 m. He is the first Sudanese national to win an Olympic medal in history. He won the gold medal at the 2003 Afro-Asian Games. Ismail is a member of the Fur people of Darfur.
Mahmoud Mohammed Taha
Philosopher
Mahmoud Mohammed Taha, also known as Ustaz Mahmoud Mohammed Taha, was a Sudanese religious thinker, leader, and trained engineer. He was executed for apostasy at the age of 76 by the regime of Gaafar Nimeiry.
Rabih az-Zubayr
Man
Rabih az-Zubayr ibn Fadl Allah or Rabih Fadlallah, usually known as Rabah in French, was a Sudanese warlord and slave trader who established a powerful empire west of Lake Chad, in today's Chad. Born around 1842 to an Nubian family in Halfaya Al-Muluk, a suburb of Khartoum, he first served with the irregular Egyptian cavalry in the Ethiopian campaign, during which he was wounded. When Rabih left the army in 1860s, he became the principal lieutenant of the Sudanese slaveholder Sebehr Rahma.
Reema Major
Musical Artist
Reema Major, is a Sudanese-born Canadian rapper. She is signed to a joint-record label venture with G7 Records / Universal Music Canada / Cherrytree Records / Interscope Records and also signed to Waka Flocka Flame's Brick Squad Monopoly label.
Mohammed Wardi
Arab Artist
Mohammed Osman Hassan Salih Wardi was a Nubian Sudanese singer and songwriter.
Ismail al-Azhari
Politician
Ismail al-Azhari was a Sudanese nationalist and political figure. He served as the Prime Minister of Sudan between 1954 and 1956, and as President of Sudan from 1964 until he was overthrown by Gaafar Nimeiry in 1969.
Ibrahim Abboud
Politician
El Ferik Ibrahim Abboud was a Sudanese president, general, and political figure. A career soldier, Abboud served in World War II in Egypt and Iraq. In 1949, Abboud became the deputy Commander in Chief of the Sudanese military. Upon independence, Abboud became the Commander in Chief of the Military of Sudan. He served as the head of state of Sudan between 1958 and 1964 and as president of Sudan in 1964; however, he soon resigned, ending Sudan's first period of military rule. Ibrahim Abboud was born 26 October 1900 at Mohammed-Gol, near the old port city of Suakin on the Red Sea. He trained as an engineer at the Gordon Memorial College and at the Military College in Khartoum. He received a commission in the Egyptian Army in 1918 and transferred to the Sudan Defence Force in 1925, after its creation separate from the Egyptian army. During World War II he served in Eritrea, in Ethiopia, with the Sudan Defense Force, and with the British army in North Africa. After the war, Abboud rose rapidly to commander of the Sudan Defense Force in 1949 and assistant commander in chief in 1954. With the declaration of independence for the Sudan in 1956, he was made commander in chief of the Sudanese military forces. After the Sudanese army staged a coup d'état in November 1958, overthrowing the civilian government of Abdullah Khalil, Gen. Abboud led the new military government.
Ahmed Haroun
Military Commander
Ahmed Mohammed Haroun is one of three Sudanese men wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. Despite international pressure on the government of Sudan to surrender him to the ICC, Haroun served as Sudan's Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs until May 2009 when he was appointed to the governorship of South Kordofan. In September 2007, he was appointed to lead an investigation into human rights violations in Darfur.
Nicholas Woodeson
Actor
Nicholas Woodeson is a British film, television and theatre actor.
Sami al-Hajj
Journalist
Sami Mohy El Din Muhammed Al Hajj, aka Sami Al-Haj is a Sudanese journalist for the Al Jazeera network. In 2001, while on his way to do camera work for the network in Afghanistan, he was arrested by the Pakistani army and held in the United States Guantanamo Bay detainment camp in Cuba for over six years. He was released without charge on May 1, 2008. He intends to launch legal action against George W. Bush. Al Hajj's case was portrayed in a documentary titled Prisoner 345 by Al Jazeera producer Ahmad Ibrahim.
Minni Minnawi
Military Commander
Suliman Arcua Minnawi, known as "Minni Minnawi", was the leader of the largest faction of the Sudanese Liberation Army until South Sudan seceded. A former educator, Minnawi was the Secretary of Sudan Liberation Army leader, Abdul Wahid Nur, before the organization split in 2004. Minnawi belongs to the Zaghawa ethnic group, the Ila Digen clan of the non-Arab, Saharan Zaghawa people. Minnawi signed a treaty, known as the Darfur Peace Agreement, with the Khartoum government in May 2006. Nevertheless, in July 2006, fighting broke out around the North Darfur town of Korma, resulting in the deaths of at least 80 people. In the same year, Minnawi was appointed the top Sudanese official in the Darfur region, as chairman of the Transitional Darfur Regional Authority, and was technically the fourth ranking member of the Presidency, as Senior Assistant to the President of the Republic. On September 14, 2006, in defiance of Khartoum's opposition, Minnawi supported the new UN peacekeeping force detailed in UNSC Resolution 1706, which was designed to protect the Sudanese people. Minnawi opposed the Sudan government's genocidal agenda, which was exercised by Bashir against the Zaghawa, and other Black African citizens, for which crimes Bashir was later indicted by the International Criminal Court.
Khalil Ibrahim
Military Commander
Dr. Khalil Ibrahim was the leader of the Zaghawa-dominated Darfurian rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement.
Faisal Agab
Soccer Midfielder
Faisal Agab Sido is a Sudanese football player who plays as an attacking midfielder and striker for Sudan national team and the Sudanese club Al-Merreikh. He is also the captain of Al-Merreikh club. He is the all-time leading Sudanese scorer in African championships with 20 goals and Arabian championships with 7 goals. Agab is the top scorer of the Sudanese league and as of 2013 had scored 392 goals total. He was the highest Sudanese premier league goals with 104 goals. He wears the number 24 in Al Merrikh and number 17 in the Nile Crocodiles Sudan national team.
Mende Nazer
Author
Mende Nazer is a UK-resident, Sudanese author and human rights activist. For eight years, she was a slave in Sudan and in London.
Leila Aboulela
Author
Leila Aboulela, Arabic 'ليلى ابوالعلا' is a Sudanese writer who writes in English. Her latest novel, Lyrics Alley, was Fiction Winner of the Scottish Book Awards and short-listed for a Regional Commonwealth Writers Prize. She is also the author of the novels The Translator and Minaret. All three novels were long-listed for the Orange Prize and the IMPAC Dublin Award. Leila Aboulela won the Caine Prize for African Writing for her short story, The Museum, included in the collection Coloured Lights which went on to be short-listed for the Macmillan/Silver PEN award. Aboulela’s work has been translated into thirteen languages and included in publications such as Granta, The Washington Post and the Virginia Quarterly Review. BBC Radio has adapted her work extensively and broadcast a number of her plays including The Mystic Life and the historical drama The Lion of Chechnya. The five-part radio serialization of The Translator was short-listed for the RIMA. Leila grew up in Khartoum and now lives in Aberdeen.
Abdallahi ibn Muhammad
Politician
Abdullah Ibn-Mohammed or Abdullah al-Taaisha, also known as "The Khalifa" was a Sudanese Ansar General and ruler who was one of the principal followers of Muhammad Ahmad. Ahmad claimed to be the Mahdi, building up a large following and capturing much of North Africa. After his death Abdallahi ibn Muhammad took over the movement, adpoting the title of Khalifat al-Mahdi. His attempt to create an Islamist military dictatorship led to widespread discontent, and his eventual defeat and death at the hands of the British.
Ater Majok
Basketball Center
Ater James Majok is an Australian professional basketball player. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2011 NBA draft with the 58th overall pick in the 2nd round.
Andreas Voutsinas
Actor
Andréas Voutsinas was a Greek actor and theater director. In the English-speaking world, he was best known for his roles in three Mel Brooks films, The Producers, The Twelve Chairs and History of the World, Part I.
Haitham Mustafa
Soccer Midfielder
Hytham Mostafa Karar is a Sudanese football midfielder playing for Al-Hilal. Haitham plays as midfielder and is the captain of Al-Hilal and the Sudan national football team. He joined Al-Hilal in November 1995 after transferring from Al-Ameer Al-Bahrawi, a second league team. He is a one of the promising players of Africa.He was on the verge to going to Everton in the transfer window in 2011, but he declined Haitham is one of Sudan's footballing legends.He is a highly rated player . In his youth years Haitham Mustafa was regarded as a highly talented holding midfielder, he led the Sudanese national team to qualify for the 2008 African Cup of Nations, which was the first time for the national team to qualify in over 30 years. He is known for his high-ability of play making, his magical throw passes are present in almost every match for Al-Hilal since 1995. He is a Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations.
Muhannad Eltahir
Soccer Midfielder
Muhannad Eltahir; born March 12, 1984 is a Sudanese footballer. He currently plays as a striker for the Sudanese Premier League club Al-Hilal and the Sudanese national team. He has been one of the most talented players in Sudan. El Tahir was transferred from Al-Merghani of Kassala in 2004. He is good in free-kicks and dribbling with pace. His shot power is very powerful and dangerous with his left foot. The fans call him Al-Ghezal, which means "the deer" in Arabic. He wears the number 10 shirt for Al-Hilal. He caught the eyes of many scouts during the 2012 African Cup of Nations as he played an important role, assisting goals for the team during the tournament.
Abdul Wahid al Nur
Man
Abdul Wahid Mohamed al Nur is the leader of the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement faction. Born in Zalingei, West Darfur, he was educated at the University of Khartoum, where he graduated in 1995 with a law degree before working as a lawyer. In June 1992, al Nur and others at the University of Khartoum created the Sudan Liberation Movement.
Magid Mohamed
Footballer
Magid Mohamed is a Qatari footballer of Sudanese origin. He is a striker for El Jaish. He previously played for Al Sadd and has been regularly called up for the Qatar national football team.
Bahr Idriss Abu Garda
Military Commander
Bahr Idriss Abu Garda is the leader of the United Resistance Front, a rebel group fighting against the Sudanese government in Darfur. He is a former commander of the Justice and Equality Movement. Abu Garda was summonsed to appear before the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes relating to a 2007 attack in which twelve African Union peacekeepers were killed. He is the first person ever to appear voluntarily before the ICC, and the first person to appear before the court in connection with the war in Darfur. He denies the allegations against him and says "I am looking forward to clear my name from this case because I am sure ... that absolutely I am not guilty". The hearing to confirm the charges against him was held from 19–29 October 2009, ending in a decision by the judges not to confirm the charges
Mudather El Tahir
Footballer
Mudather Eltaib Ibrahim El Tahir, known as Mudather Careca, is a Sudanese striker who plays for Al-Hilal in the Sudan Premier League. He is one of the most promising players in Sudan.
Osman Digna
Deceased Person
Osman Digna was a follower of Muhammad Ahmad, the self-proclaimed Mahdi, in Sudan, who became his best known military commander during the Mahdist War. As the Mahdi's ablest general, he played an important role in the fate of General Charles George Gordon and the loss of the Sudan to Egypt. In Britain Osman became a notorious figure, both demonised as a savage and respected as a warrior. Winston Churchill describes him as an "astute" and "prudent" man, calling him "the celebrated, and perhaps immortal, Osman Digna."
Golgol Mebrahtu
Soccer Midfielder
Golgol Mebrahtu is an Eritrean-Australian footballer who plays for A-League club Melbourne Heart.
Yasir Arman
Politician
Yasir Said Arman is a Sudanese politician and a leading figure in the Sudan People's Liberation Movement. He was the SPLM's deputy secretary-general for the northern sector and its spokesman. Initially he was presented as the SPLM candidate for the April 2010 presidential election, but the party later chose to boycott the presidential election. After South Sudan's independence on July 9, 2011 and the creation of a separate SPLM party in the Republic of the Sudan, Arman has become the secretary general of the SPLM-N. Arman is one of the leaders who helped draft and signed the Naivasha agreement of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended the war between the north and south of Sudan in 2005. He was the head of the SPLM quota for the parliamentary faction.
John Bul Dau
Organization founder
John Dau, also known as Dhieu-Deng Leek, is one of the Lost Boys of Sudan who was featured in the 2006 award-winning documentary God Grew Tired of Us. Today, he is a father himself and a human rights activist for the people of South Sudan. In 2007, he founded the John Dau Foundation which aims to transform healthcare in South Sudan.
Abdel Khaliq Mahjub
Man
Abdel Khaliq Mahjub was a Sudanese politician. Mahjub was born in Omdurman. He was the Secretary General of the Sudanese Communist Party till his death by execution in Khartum during the Gaafar Nimeiry regime. Following his execution Muhammad Ibrahim Nugud became the leader of the party.
Atef Salem
Film Director
Atef Salem was an Egyptian film director. He directed 32 films between 1954 and 2001. Many of his films were scripted by the novelist Naguib Mahfouz. His 1967 film Khan el khalili was entered into the 5th Moscow International Film Festival.
Abd al-Rahman al-Mahdi
Politician
Sayyid Abd al-Rahman al-Mahdi, KBE was one of the leading religious and political figures during the colonial era in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, and continued to exert great authority as leader of the Neo-Mahdists after Sudan became independent. The British tried to exploit his influence over the Sudanese people while at the same time profoundly distrusting his motives. Throughout most of the colonial era of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan the British saw Sayyid Abd al-Rahman al-Mahdi as important as a moderate leader of the Mahdists. However, the British would not support him in his ambition to become King of Sudan when the country gained independence. Abd al-Rahman was the posthumous son of Muhammad Ahmad bin Abd Allah, who had proclaimed himself the Mahdi or messianic redeemer of the Islamic faith in 1881, and died in 1885 a few months after his forces had captured Khartoum. A joint British and Egyptian force recaptured Sudan in 1898. At first, the British severely restricted Abd al-Rahman's movement and activity. However, he soon emerged as the Sayyid of the Ansar religious sect, supporters of the Mahdist movement. Abd al-Rahman helped the British to retain Sudanese support during the First World War, when they were opposed to the Turkish Empire, despite his being a Muslim leader. He lent his support again during a crisis in 1924 when there were anti-British riots in Egypt and the British Governor-General of the Sudan was assassinated. Meanwhile he grew wealthy from cotton production, for which his supporters provided labor, and influential among the intelligentsia. The British administration distrusted him. When Governor General Sir Geoffrey Archer paid a formal and friendly visit to Abd al-Rahman in March 1926, Archer was dismissed and Abd al-Rahman was placed under travel restriction.
Haytham Tambal
Soccer
Haytham Tambal is a Sudanese football striker currently playing for Al-Merrikh. He is the all-time Sudan national football team top scorer. In 2008 in the Sudanese league he scored 21 goals in 20 games; he is dangerous in front of goal. He used to play rivals al hilal and in 2006 he went to South African outfit orlando pirates which he played 1 appearance only. In 2007 he went African giants al merrikh which is in the team currently now.
Lubna al-Hussein
Woman
Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein is a Sudanese Muslim, media worker and activist who came to international attention in July 2009 when she was prosecuted for wearing trousers. Her case has become a cause célèbre, with organisations such as the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information and Amnesty International issuing statements in support.
Ahmed al-Mirghani
Politician
Ahmad Ali Al-Mirghani 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.
Rabah Yousif
Olympic Track and field Athlete
Rabah Yusif is a Sudanese-born British athlete, who initially competed for the Sudan before obtaining British citizenship.
Nagmeldin Ali Abubakr
Olympic athlete
Nagmeldin Ali Abubakr is a Sudanese athlete who mainly competes in the 400 metres. He was born in Khartoum. His current personal best time is 44.93 seconds, achieved in April 2005 in Mecca. Ali competed in the 400 metres event at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing failing to advance to the semifinals. He lives in Nyala, southern Darfur, and is a sergeant in the Sudanese army. His family is of the Zaghawa ethnic group.
Malik Agar
Politician
Malik Agar is a Sudanese politician.
Ahmed El-Basha
Footballer
Ahmed El Basha is a Sudanese football defender who plays for Al-Merreikh. He was a member of the Sudan National Football Team. He was a left back, he may also play as defensive midfielder or also as a winger. He is on loan to Libyan club Al-Nasr Benghazi and returned to El-Merreikh on June 2011. He is known as Sudanese Sergio Ramos because of his run through the flank and his crosses.
Fatima Ahmed Ibrahim
Politician
Fatima Ahmed Ibrahim, Arabic: فاطمة أحمد إبراهيم, Sudanese writer, women rights activist and Socialist leader.
Mohamed Osman Tahir
Football player
Mohamed Osman Tahir is a Sudanese football midfielder. Known to the fans as "Mohanad" Al Tahir, currently playing for Al-Hilal. He is known for his powerful long range goals and he is one of the landmarks of Sudanese football, he started since season 2000/2001 playing for Al Merghani Kassala in which he caught the eyes of the capital's giants Hilal & Merreikh but there was no real negotiations at the time, until the season of 2003/2004 in which he moved to The Blue Crescents Al Hilal and he played critical part of winning over 8 titles for the team in 7 seasons. Tahir is also a member of the Sudan national football team.
Kueth Duany
Basketball Shooting guard
Kueth Duany is a Sudanese former college basketball player for the Syracuse Orange who was the captain and lone senior on Syracuse's 2003 NCAA National Championship team.
Abdallah Khalil
Politician
Sayed Abdallah Khalil was a prominent Sudanese politician and the former Prime Minister. Khalil, a former army general, put together a Umma Party/Mahdist coalition on July 5, 1956 and became Prime Minister. He allied Sudan with the United States, sparking a tense standoff with Egypt under Gamal Abdel Nasser. On November 17, 1958, Khalil carried out a military coup against his own government, putting the government under the control of a military junta.
Abousfian Abdelrazik
Man
Abousfian Abdelrazik or Abu Sufian Abd Al-Razziq is a Sudanese-born Canadian dual citizen. On July 23, 2006 the United States Department of the Treasury designated him as a supporter of al-Qaeda and a terrorist, but he was subsequently cleared in multiple investigations by the Sudanese government, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Following his imprisonment in Sudan, the Canadian government would not grant him travel papers and otherwise blocked his return to Canada. On June 4, 2009, the Federal Court ruled that his citizenship rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms had been violated and ordered the Canadian government to facilitate his return. On June 27, 2009, Abdelrazik flew to Canada. Prior to his removal from the list, he was the only living Canadian on the United Nations security council blacklist, usually referred to as the "1267 List" after the number of the Security Council resolution which established it. The 1267 regime imposes sanctions on listed individuals, including a complete asset freeze and a ban on international travel. Upon his return to Canada, he sued the government for C$24-million, and C$3-million more for Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon's alleged “misfeasance in public office.” He has also launched a constitutional challenge to legislation implementing the 1267 regime in Canada. Abdelrazik's experience has been said to be similar to other Canadians such as Maher Arar, Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad El Maati, and Muayyed Nureddin. Abdelrazik claims that he was tortured while in detention in Sudan and the Canadian government has admitted in court submissions that two CSIS agents interrogated him while he was in Sudanese custody.
Awn Alsharif Qasim
Politician
Awn Al-Sharif Qasim - *website - was a prolific Sudanese writer, encyclopedist, a prominent scholar, a powerful community leader, a man of charity and one of Sudan's leading experts on Arabic language and literature. He was a strong advocate of Arabic/Islamic culture and its interweaving with Sudanese culture. Qasim authored more than 70 books in the area of Islamic history and civilization, Arabic literature, studies in the Sudanese dialect languages. Along with Professor Abdalla Eltayeb and Professor Abu Saleem, Qasim was considered one of the scholars who shaped the Sudanese academic scene during the last 3 decades of the 20th century.
Kabra Kasai
Pop Artist
Kabra Kasai is an Israeli singer, best known for her work alongside Idan Raichel in the Idan Raichel Project. She is also known for her participation in the first season of the Israeli version of American Idol, Kochav Nolad, where she reached the top 8. Her most famous song is called Habaytah, Haloch Chazor, which means "Home, Back and Forth". She was born in a Sudanese refugee camp, to Ethiopian Jewish parents on their way to Israel, in what was called Operation Moses. She arrived in Israel when she was one year old, in 1984. At age 18, as mandatory in Israel, she began her military service, where she met Idan Raichel. Together, they performed in many military camps and facilities. When they left the army, the Idan Raichel project was acclaimed as a success, and they performed all over Israel and even went on some offshore tours.
Jamal al-Fadl
Man
Jamal Ahmed Mohamed al-Fadl is a Sudanese militant and former associate of Osama bin Laden in the early 1990s. Al-Fadl was recruited for the Afghan war through the Farouq mosque in Brooklyn. In 1988, he joined al Qaeda and took an oath of fealty to Bin Laden. After a dispute with Bin Laden, al-Fadl defected and became an informant to the United States government on al Qaeda activities.
Hrant Alianak
Playwright
Hrant Alianak, also billed as Harant Alianak or Grant Aljanak, is an Armenian-Canadian actor and playwright. In 1988 he was nominated for the Genie Award "Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role" for his role in the 1987 film Family Viewing. He played Pete in the 1995 Adam Sandler movie Billy Madison. He portrayed Dr. Mendez in the 2009 Canadian horror film Pontypool. Hrant Alianak's plays include Lucky Strike, The Walls of Africa, and The Blues. Alianak made his debut as a writer in 1972 at Theatre Passe Muraille, with Tantrums. The Walls of Africa was the 2001 winner of three Dora Awards, including Best New Play, and was published by Scirocco Drama in 2002. Scirocco has also published The Blues. In 2010, Alianak portrayed Principal Hicks in the movie My Babysitter's a Vampire, and in 2011, he reprised the role in the TV series based on it.
Nessim Gaon
Financier
Nessim Gaon is a Swiss financier who created the Noga company. Outside the business world, he has been very prominent in Jewish affairs, acting as president of the World Sephardi Federation since 1971. He has also been a vice president of the World Jewish Congress and chairman of the board of governors of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel.
Mohamed Rihan
Soccer Goalkeeper
Mohamed Abdallah Raihan Baha Eldin is a Sudanese football goalkeeper who plays for Al-Hilal and the Sudan national football team.
Dominic Dim Deng
Politician
Dominic Dim Deng was a senior member of Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement, a distinguished military veteran General and the first Defence Minister in the Government of Southern Sudan who lost his life alongside his wife Madam Josephine Apieu Jenaro Aken, senior politician Dr. Justin Yac Arop and 18 other Sudan People's Liberation Army and Government of Southern Sudan officials on a leased CEM Air Beechcraft 1900 that crashed 375 km west of Juba, Sudan on May 2, 2008.
Saif Eldin Ali Masawi
Footballer
Saif Eldin Ali Idris Farah is a Sudanese footballer who plays for Al-Hilal FC in the Sudan Premier League. He is the member of the Sudan National Football Team. He plays as a defensive midfielder. He is known for his hair having white colour in front.
Mohamed Ahmed Bashir
Soccer Midfielder
Mohammed Ahmed Bashir, also known as Bisha, is a Sudanese footballer who plays for Saudi club Al-Wehda in the Saudi Pro League Premie He plays as a striker and also a winger. He is a member of the Sudan national football team. He was brought from Al-Mourada SC to Al-Hilal in December 2010. After having a brilliant season with Al-Hilal in 2011, he was linked with Leyton Orient and Arsenal.He scored Sudan first goal in 36 years in the 2012 African Cup Of Nations against Angola in the group B which ended in a 2 : 2 . He was transferred to Saudi club Al-Wehda in June 2012. He scored his first goal for Al-Wehda against Al-Ahli in a friendly match which Al-Wehda won 0 : 4. Bisha later scored his first league, competitive goal for his new side with a beauty against the Saudi League champions Al-Shabab but the team lost 2: 5. He has been a fan favourite in Makkah and in Sudan as he scored his national team since playing his trade in Saudi Arabia against Ethiopia which Sudan won the match 5:3 in a qualifier match for the 2013 AFCON to be helding in South Africa.
Ger Duany
Actor
Ger Duany is a South Sudanese actor and model based in The United States.
Babiker Awadalla
Politician
Babiker Awadalla is a Sudanese Arab nationalist politician. He was born in Gitena, White Nile State. Awadalla graduated from the Gordon Memorial College law school. He held the position of Speaker of the Parliament from 1954 to 1957, and became Chief Judge in 1964. In 1966, he resigned from the court in protest of the government's refusal to reinstate the Sudanese Communist Party, which the court had held to be unconstitutionally banned from parliament. He held different political positions in Gaafar Nimeiry's military cabinet: Prime Minister from 25 May 1969 to 27 October 1969 and Foreign Minister from 1969 to 1970. He served also as the deputy of Nimeiry. He was the only civilian member in Nimeiry's governing council. His name is also spelled Babikir Awadalla and Abu Bakr Awadallah.
Mamdouh Mahmud Salim
Organization founder
Mamdouh Mahmud Salim is an alleged co-founder of the Islamist terrorist network al-Qaeda. He was arrested on 16 September 1998 near the German city of Munich. On 20 December 1998 he was extradited to the United States, where he is charged with participating in the 1998 United States embassy bombings. Since then he has been convicted of attempted murder, after stabbing one prison guard during an attempted escape. He was sentenced to 32 years for the crimes. In 2008, however, a Federal Appeals judge ruled that the judge in the case was in error when he ruled that the stabbing was not part of a terrorism plot. He ordered resentencing. He was re-sentenced to life without parole in August 2010. He is now an inmate of the ADX Florence facility in Florence, Colorado.
Ibrahim al Qosi
Man
Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al Qosi is a Sudanese citizen and alleged paymaster for al-Qaida. He was captured in December, 2001 in Afghanistan. Qosi was held since January 2002 in extrajudicial detention in the United States Guantanamo Bay detainment camps, in Cuba. His Guantanamo Internment Serial Number is 54. Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al Qosi was held at Guantanamo for approximately ten years and six months; he was charged with low-level support of al-Qaeda. After pleading guilty in a plea bargain in 2010, in the first trial under the military commissions, and serving a short sentence, Qosi was transferred to Sudan in July 2012. He was to be held in custody and participate in Sudan's re-integration program for former detainees before being allowed to return to his hometown.
Amir Taj al-Sir
Man
Amir Taj al-Sir is a Sudanese novelist, writing in Arabic.
Richard Justin
Soccer Midfielder
Richard Gastin Lado is a South Sudanese football defensive midfielder currently playing for Khartoum. He was a member of the Sudan national football team. He scored once for his team so he made the very first goal ever made by South Sudan in an official game.
Sirr Al-Khatim Al-Khalifa
Politician
Sirr Al-Khatim Al-Khalifa Al-Hassan was a Sudanese politician, ambassador and an elite educator. Famous for his great legacy in education and founding prints for Ministry of Education in Sudan, and as the Prime Minister in the October Regime.
Abdel Aziz El Mubarak
Arab Artist
Abdel Aziz El Mubarak is a popular Sudanese singer. He is known for leading a large band whose music is based on traditional Arab music but also is influenced by reggae and American rhythm and blues. In addition to releasing many cassette recordings in Sudan and playing many weddings and other gigs in Sudan, he and his band have also recorded several CDs for the European and American market and have toured internationally. He also sometimes performs solo accompanying himself on the oud.
Mohamed Abdallah
Football team manager
Mohamed Abdallah Ahmed nicknamed Mazda, is a Sudanese football coach, former player and the current manager of the Sudanese national side. Abdallah was in charge at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, guiding them to the quarterfinals of the tournament. Abdallah, a University professor, had previously been captain of the Sudanese national team.
Bader Eldin Abdalla Galag
Soccer Midfielder
Badr El-Din El Doud Abdalla is a Sudanese football midfielder currently playing for Al-Merriekh. Galag is also appearing in Al-Hilal portsudan and in the Sudan national team as right winger . He is a member of the Sudan national football team.
AlKabli
Arab Artist
AbdelKarim AlKabli is a Sudanese singer, poet, composer, songwriter and humanitarian known for his songs with themes of love, passion, nationalism, Sudanese culture and folklore.
Rebecca Nyandeng De Mabior
Politician
Rebecca Nyandeng De Mabior is a South Sudanese politician. She had served as the Minister of Roads and Transport in the autonomous Government of South Sudan, and is currently one of the Advisors for the President of The Republic of South Sudan. She is the widow of Dr. John Garang De Mabior, the late first Vice-President of Sudan and the President of the Government of South Sudan. She is from the Dinka tribe of Twic East County of South Sudan.
Mohammed Ahmed Mustafa al-Dabi
Man
Lieutenant General Mohammed Ahmed Mustafa al-Dabi is a Sudanese military commander and intelligence officer who served as head of the Arab League observer mission in Syria from December 2011 to February 2012. al-Dabi was born in February, 1948 in the northern Sudanese town of Berber, situated in the River Nile state. He was made famous by his great work with helping cats around the world. He served in the Sudanese Armed Forces for 30 years, enlisting with the rank of lieutenant in 1969. Following the military coup of General Omar al-Bashir in June 1989, he was appointed chief of Sudanese military intelligence. Between July 1995 and November 1996, he was head of the foreign branch of Sudanese security, and later on served as deputy chief of staff for military operations from 1996 to 1999, commanding Sudanese Forces against the insurgency in the former Southern Sudan. Sudanese Rebel Leaders have accused him of being involved in severe human rights violations in Darfur during the Darfur Conflict. He was presidential representative to Darfur from July till November 1999, and returned to serve in the same capacity in 2004.
Mustafa Osman Ismail
Politician
Mustafa Osman Ismail is a former Sudanese politician. Ismail was the foreign minister of Sudan from 18 February 1998 to 18 September 2005. His main job as foreign minister was to be the government's main spokesman in diplomatic efforts to solve the Sudanese civil wars. He was the longest-serving foreign minister in Sudanese history. He was replaced by southerner Lam Akol when the national unity government took office. Ismail was appointed Presidential Advisor after stepping down as Foreign Minister. He has been on many official trips abroad and has been criticized as being an active shadow Foreign Minister for the National Congress Party. His tireless efforts at unsuccessfully mediating crises outside of Sudan, roles in the domestic politics of the National Congress Party and his long tenure in public office have drawn the scorn and criticism of certain sections of the Sudanese media.
Daoud Hari
Author
Daoud Hari is a Sudanese tribesman from the Darfur region of Sudan. He has worked as a language interpreter and guide for NGO's and the press on fact-finding trips into the war-torn and dangerous Darfur area. Hari was captured and detained by the government of Sudan as a spy in August 2006 along with Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist Paul Salopek and their Chadian driver Abdulraham Anu. During their months-long ordeal all three men were severely beaten and deprived. The American journalist knew that the Sudanese government did not want to risk more bad publicity on his death and so eventually all three were released. Upon their successful release - after an international outcry from US diplomats, the US military, Bono and even the Pope - Hari moved to the US where he began work on his memoirs to help bring further world attention to the plight of his people and country. In 2008 he published his memoirs under the title The Translator: A Tribesman's Memoir of Darfur. By telling his story he hopes someone will listen and send help to his people so eventually they can move back to their land and live a peaceful life. Daoud Hari is also known as Suleyman Abakar Moussa. As he explains in his memoir, this is a false identity he created to appear as a citizen of Chad in order that he might work in the Sudanese refugee camps in Chad as an interpreter.
Mohamed H.A. Hassan
Academic
Mohamed Hag Ali Hassan is a scientist. He has published articles in various fields, mostly applying mathemathics in the physical sciences. He has been active as professor of mathematics and as dean of the School of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Khartoum, until 1986. Since 1983, he has been engaged with the organisation of academica in the developing world. Among others, he is the executive director of TWAS, the academy of sciences for the developing world, president of the African Academy of Sciences, and the president of the Network of African Science Academies. He also has been the director of the secretariat of the InterAcademy Panel since 2001, and in 2010 to 2012 serves his first three-year period as one of the two co-chairs of IAP.
Hamouda Ahmed El Bashir
Soccer Midfielder
Hamouda Ahmed El Bashir is a Sudanese football midfielder currently playing for Ahli shendi. He was a member of the Sudan national football team. He is very good at heading the ball, passing and shooting from long distances.
Salih Mahmoud Osman
Lawyer
Salih Mahmoud Osman Sudanese human rights lawyer. Osman is well known for having provided free legal representation to hundreds of victims of ethnic violence in Sudan over more than two decades. He is from the Jebel Marra area in central Darfur, western Sudan. He has been widely honored for his work on human rights issues in Sudan, receiving the Human Rights Watch award in 2005, the International Human Rights Award from the American Bar Association in 2006, and was included in European Voices 50 most influential persons in Europe in 2007. Also in 2007 the European Parliament voted unanimously to award him the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. He was detained three times for his courageous advocacy in defense of human rights, but was never charged with any offense. In 2005, he was appointed to the National Assembly of Sudan where he works to promote legal reform and establishment of the rule of law in Sudan.
Adel Hassan Hamad
Man
Adel Hassan Hamad is a citizen of Sudan, who was held in the United States Guantanamo Bay detention camp, in Cuba. Joint Task Force Guantanamo counter-terrorism analysts estimate he was born in 1958, in Port Sudan, Sudan. Adel Hassan was repatriated to Sudan without charges on December 12, 2007.
Abdel Rahim Mohammed Hussein
Politician
Abdel Rahim Mohammed Hussein is the current Minister of Defence of The Republic of Sudan. He was also the former Minister of Interior Affairs until he resigned and then reinstated at his current post. During his term as Minister of Interior Affairs, he opened the Rabat University. In later years, he was accused of supporting the janjaweed and committing war crimes, allegations he and the government both strongly deny.
Michele Amatore
Deceased Person
Captain Michele Amatore or Sulayman al-Nubi was a Sudanese slave who became a captain in the Bersaglieri of the Italian army. He was decorated for unselfish acts during a cholera outbreak in Sicily.
Noor Uthman Muhammed
Man
Noor Uthman Muhammed is a citizen of Sudan confined in the United States Guantanamo Bay detention camp, in Cuba where he is serving a sentence for terrorism convictions before the Guantanamo military commission The Department of Defense reports that Muhammed was born in Kasala [sic], Sudan. As of September 14, 2010, Noor Uthman Muhammed has been held at Guantanamo for eight years one months
Muhammad Ibrahim Nugud
Politician
Muhammad Ibrahim Nugud was a Sudanese politician who was Secretary-General of the Sudanese Communist Party. He succeeded Abdel Khaliq Mahjub after the latter's execution in 1971, leading the party for over 40 years; his leadership was viewed as a period of long decline for the party. He stood as a candidate in the 2010 presidential election, but performed poorly. Nugud died in London in March 2012, when he was about 80 years old.
Mary Boyoi
Singer
Mary Boyoi, singer, human rights activist and philanthropist, is from the Murle tribe of South Sudan. She was born in Malakal, South Sudan in 1980, three years before the civil war erupted. Her father, a Murle chief and military commander within the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army was killed in 1989. After her father’s death, she and her family spent a number of years in displaced camps in Sudan and refugee camps in Ethiopia to avoid conflicts of the war. She continued her higher education in Kenya and completed a series of diploma courses. In 2002, she began working for humanitarian relief agencies in various locations throughout South Sudan. It’s through humanitarian work that Mary found her passion – helping others. Mary uses her exceptional talents in music to shed light on issues and calls for peace and reconciliation among her people. In 2005 she founded ABONA International, a nonprofit organization aimed supporting peace throughout South Sudan and providing assistance to girls and young women in violent and destructive situations.In 2007 she began work on her first music project, “Referendum”. In January 2010, Mary was nominated by members of the Murle community to run for a parliamentary seat in the Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly in Juba. She campaigned for the elections that took place in April, 2010.
Yassir al-Sudani
Politician
Yassir al-Sudani, also known as Yasser Youssef Amarat or Abu Yassir, was a Mujahid Emir fighting in Chechnya. Although most Russian language sources report he was a Jordanian citizen, his name implies that he is from Sudan.
Mohamed Hanafi
Film Director
Mohamed Hanafi is a film director.