Abdel Fattah al-Maghrabi

Abdel Fattah al-Maghrabi (عبد الفتاح المغربي ; 1898 – 1985) was a Sudanese official and statesman. He served as a member of the collective body at the helm of the Sudanese state, the First Sudanese Sovereignty Council, from 1955 to 1958.

Early life and education
Abdel Fattah Muhammad al-Maghrabi was born in 1898. Abdelfattah el Maghrabi's father, Mohamed Mustafa, held the position of Chief Clerk of Dongola Province, which was bestowed upon him by the Mahdi. In 1889, following his forces' defeat by General Grenfell at Battle of Toski, the Khalifa, who succeeded the Mahdi, sought out individuals to blame and subsequently imprisoned Mohamed Mustafa. However, Mohamed Mustafa managed to secure his release by composing a poem consisting of 40 verses that praised the Khalifa.

al-Maghrabi studied at American University in Beirut as part of the first student delegation to study outside Sudan, and graduated with a PhD in mathematics. He then worked as a mathematics lecturer at Gordon Memorial College after his graduation.

Political career
al-Maghrabi was appointed in 1951 as the only member of the opposition in the Legislative Assembly that was discussing the matter of the country’s constitution. After independence, al-Maghrabi became a member of the first Sudanese Sovereignty Council from 26 December 1955 to 17 November 1958, the head of the state's five-man supreme council. The prime minister was Ismail al-Azhari until 5 July 1956 followed by Abdallah Khalil until 17 November 1958. The First Sudanese Sovereignty Council ended on 17 November 1958 when General Ibrahim Abboud seized power in a military coup. Ibrahim Abboud assumed the presidency, and the council was dissolved, leading to a change in Sudan's governance structure from a parliamentary system to military rule.

Personal life and death
al-Maghrabi married the Phillippa Maghrabi in 1937 who was a British nurse working for the Sudanese Health Services Authority. Between 1937 and 1948, He and Phillippa resided in Gereif, which was located five miles outside of Khartoum along the banks of the Blue Nile. During their time there, Phillippa undertook the role of an informal district nurse in the neighboring villages. She wrote a memoirs documenting the history of Khartoum in a book called Early days at Gereif.

al-Maghribi died in 1985 in Newton Abbot in Devon, England.