Al-Hadi al-Mahdi

Imam Al-Hadi Abdulrahman al-Mahdi (1918–1971) was a Sudanese political and religious figure. He was a leader of the Sudanese Ansar religious order and was also the uncle of fellow Umma party politician Sadiq al-Mahdi. The Umma party was largely torn in half between 1966 and 1969 as a result of a split between Hadi al-Mahdi and Sadiq al-Mahdi.^[1]

Sayyid Hadi al-Mahdi
Personal details
Born	1918
Died	1971 (aged 53)
Citizenship	Sudanese
Nationality	Sudanese Arab
Political party	Umma Party
Relations	Abd al-Mahdi (father) Bakhita Mustafa (mother)

In winter 1969 Al-Hadi was inciting the Ansar to take violent action against the government of Gaafar Nimeiry. In March 1970 he openly challenge Nimeiry by unleashing the Ansar into Omdurman to stage massive protest that was only suppressed by the army after great destruction of property and loss of life.

Nimeiry mobilised a large flotilla, steamed up the White Nile to Aba Island, and on March 27 launched his elite forces on the Ansar, who resisted valiantly until overwhelmed by superior firepower.

Trying to escape, On March 30 the Imam Al-Hadi was trapped and killed near the Ethiopian border, leaving behind ~12,000 Ansar dead on Aba Island. The extensive holdings of the Mahdi family were then confiscated, and on April 3 his nephew Sadiq al-Mahdi slipped into exile.^[2]