Ali Osman Taha: The Second Man in the Organization – Who is he?
Ali Osman Taha, the Vice President of the Republic of Sudan, is historically known as the second man in the organization of the National Islamic Front, after Dr. Hassan Abdullah al-Turabi. He gained notoriety when he turned against al-Turabi in December 1999, following the famous “December Memorandum” that led to the isolation of Dr. al-Turabi, who sought to consolidate all presidential powers and obedience to him in all matters.
Born in the 1940s in the capital, Khartoum, Ali Osman Taha graduated from the University of Khartoum and worked in the judiciary. He joined the Islamic movement early on and became known as the second man in the Islamic movement after al-Turabi.
Ali Osman Mohammed Taha is one of those who signed the “December Memorandum,” leading to the rift between al-Turabi and al-Bashir in 1999. He served as a parliamentarian and opposition leader in the Constituent Assembly in the 1980s. He also held the first executive position after al-Bashir‘s coup in 1993 and served as the Minister of Social Development.
He rose through the ranks until he became the Vice President in 1998, holding the position until 2013. He led the government delegation for the Naivasha Agreement in 2005, which resulted in the separation of South Sudan.
He was arrested after the revolution on charges of plotting and planning the June 1989 coup. Involvement in the Coup: During his trial in 2020 for his alleged involvement in the 1989 coup, Ali Osman strongly denied participating in the coup. He stated that on the night of the coup, he was at his home in Riyadh and did not participate in the coup at all. He expressed pride in his participation and holding positions during the government of rescue.
His involvement in the coup
Ali Osman Taha was also behind the attempted assassination of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in 1995. Dr. Ali al-Haj, an assistant to al-Turabi. stated that Ali Osman had liquidated a number of fundamentalist Islamist Libyans who participated in the attempt to assassinate the Egyptian president in Addis Ababa. The reason for their liquidation was to prevent them from being “eyewitnesses,” and the liquidation .took place at Khartoum Airport.
He mentioned that Ali Osman spent over 1.5 million dollars from the Islamic movement‘s treasury to train a group .of Islamists and prepare for this operation.
Al-Turabi revealed that the funding for the failed .operation to assassinate Mubarak exceeded one million dollars. secretly taken by Ali Osman Mohammed Taha from the National Islamic Front. According to al-Turabi. this was a significant amount in their expenditures.
Al-Turabi denied that his deputy had personal motives in getting involved in the attempt to assassinate Mubarak. it was merely elements of the “Islamic Group” who approached him and informed him that they wanted to get rid of him.
