The Sudanese Minister of Education, Mahmoud Sir Al-Khatim Al-Houri, passed away in Cairo, Egypt, on Friday evening due to a health crisis. The Sudanese embassy in Egypt, in coordination with Egyptian authorities, completed the procedures on Saturday to transport his body back to Port Sudan for burial.
Minister Al-Houri was in Cairo with his wife for medical treatment, as he suffered from diabetes. During his stay at a hotel in Giza, south of Cairo, he fell into a coma, leading his wife to seek immediate help.
The hotel management called a doctor who confirmed his death due to a diabetic coma. The Egyptian security authorities subsequently informed the Sudanese embassy in Cairo about the cause of death, as reported by local media.
Appointed by the Sudanese Sovereignty Council as the Minister of Education in the transitional government in January 2022, Al-Houri managed the educational sector during a challenging period for Sudan, especially following the outbreak of civil war in mid-April 2023.
He faced multiple crises, including difficulties in maintaining regular school sessions and conducting the Sudanese Secondary School Certificate exams.
General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, head of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council, and other council members mourned Al-Houri. In a statement released on Saturday, Al-Burhan praised Al-Houri as a “patriotic man who dedicated his life to the service of education and his sincere efforts.” He described the deceased as a model of professionalism and dedication.
The Sudanese ambassador in Cairo, Lt. Gen. Imad Al-Din Mustafa Adawi, also mourned Al-Houri, highlighting his national roles and efforts in defending his country’s causes, describing him as a model of dedication, humility, and self-denial.
Days before his death, Al-Houri had visited Cairo with the Sudanese Minister of Higher Education, Mohamed Hassan Dahab, to address issues affecting Sudanese education in Egypt, including the closure of several Sudanese schools pending regularization of their status.
In June, Egyptian authorities had closed these schools until they met legal requirements for operating educational activities. This included the “Friendship” school affiliated with the Sudanese embassy and other private schools.
Earlier this month, the Sudanese embassy in Cairo urged the directors of Sudanese schools in Egypt to comply with the Egyptian authorities’ decision to completely close the schools and refrain from any activities, including registrations or fee collections for the new academic year.
In a conference to evaluate Sudanese education in Egypt this month, attended by the Sudanese ambassador and directors of Sudanese schools operating in Egypt, Al-Houri discussed ongoing coordination with Egyptian authorities to remove obstacles facing Sudanese students in Egypt, including reopening the closed schools according to mutually agreed procedures and regulations.
Al-Houri had reassured the Sudanese community that the secondary school certificate exams would be held this year, with examination centers set up in Egypt and Sudan. The ongoing civil war in several Sudanese states and regions continues to complicate the organization of the exam process.
Ahmed Awad, deputy head of the Sudanese community in Cairo, stated that the late minister was highly respected and appreciated by various Sudanese communities, attributing this to his long career in the education sector in Sudan.
Awad mentioned that the Sudanese community in Cairo is receiving condolences at the “House of Sudanese” in Cairo, in recognition of Al-Houri’s contributions, praising his efforts in addressing the problems of thousands of Sudanese families who fled the civil war in Sudan to Egypt and neighboring countries.
