Remains of ex-Sudanese PM arrives in Khartoum

The remains of Sudan’s former Prime Minister and top opposition figure arrived in Khartoum on Friday.

Sadiq al-Madhi died from the novel coronavirus, his moderate Islamist National Umma party said on Thursday, while offering condolences to the Sudanese people.

Madhi was transferred to the United Arab Emirates for treatment three weeks ago after being hospitalized in Sudan and testing positive for the virus.

"The deceased Imam Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi is one of the people who called for democracy in Sudan, despite the obstacles they faced in Sudan, and he is one of the people who persevered until Sudan reached a democracy that would be accepted by the world in general’’, said Badr Abdel Aziz, a Sudanese citizen.

On Friday, the government declared three days of national mourning for the former premier.

He was a staunch opposition figure during Bashir's long rule and threw his weight behind a mass protest movement that eventually prompted the military to overthrow the president last year.

Mahdi was toppled in 1989 by now-ousted president Omar al-Bashir in an Islamist-backed military coup. Sudan has recorded nearly 17,000 coronavirus cases including more than 1,200 deaths.