Sudan’s Democratic Unionist Party leader Mohamed Osman Al-Mirghani dies at 90
November 13, 2026 (CAIRO) – Mohamed Osman Al-Mirghani, the spiritual guide of the Khatmiyya Sufi order and leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) Original, died in Cairo on Friday, aged 90.
His death was announced at Cleopatra Hospital in Cairo, where he had been receiving treatment.
DUP Original leader Mohamed Syed Ahmed Sir Al-Khatim said funeral arrangements in Khartoum will begin on Sunday.
Al-Mirghani will be buried on Monday at the Sayed Ali Al-Mirghani Mosque in Khartoum North.
The schedule allows followers of the Khatmiyya order and DUP supporters time to participate in the funeral ceremonies in the capital.
Al-Mirghani’s sons will receive condolences on Sunday evening at the Taiba Villa in Cairo, according to a statement from his office.
The Khatmiyya order mourned Al-Mirghani, praising his long history of serving his religion and the nation, and said it will announce the formal funeral ceremonies later.
The order directed all deputies and followers inside and outside Sudan to open mosques and prayer centres to receive condolences.
Born in 1936, Al-Mirghani assumed leadership of the DUP in 1982.
He led the National Democratic Alliance, an umbrella coalition that opposed former President Omar al-Bashir’s regime after the 1989 military coup.
A prominent political milestone was his signing of the “Mirghani-Garang” agreement with Sudan People’s Liberation Movement leader John Garang in November 1988, in an attempt to end the country’s civil war.
Al-Mirghani lived in Cairo for years before returning to Khartoum in November 2022 after about a decade away.
The outbreak of war in April 2023 hastened his return to his Cairo residence.
Throughout his career, Al-Mirghani consistently urged the Sudanese people to embrace national consensus, reunite, and end armed conflict.