Mohamed Tahir Ayala

Ayala was born in 1951 in Jubayt,[2] and graduated in economics from the University of Khartoum and Cardiff University, with a Bachelor and Master's degree respectively.[2] Soon after the 1989 Sudanese coup d'état he was appointed director of the Sudan Seaports Corporation and later became federal minister for roads and bridges.[3] In 2005 he was appointed governor of Red Sea state.[4][5] In November 2017, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir offered Ayala his support for the 2020 presidential election if he were to stand.[6][7] In response, Ayala said, "The demand of the Gezira people and my demand is for 2020 to be the year where al-Bashir is elected for a third term in office. That’s the demand of all of the Sudanese people."