Shaykh Bara Mbacké is the sixth caliph of Mouridism and the first not be a son of Shaykh Amadou Bamba, the founder of the Mouride movement. Bara Mbacké succeeded Serigne Saliou Mbacke as Shaykh who was credited for his transformation of the village of Touba into Senegal's second largest city, and for the enormous growth in popular devotion and political power of the brotherhood both throughout West Africa and (through the diaspora) the world. It has been reported that Serigne Saliou Mbacke personally chose his successor, that the five grandsons of Amadou Bamba (including Serigne Saliou Mbacke's son, Serigne Moustapha Saliou Mbacké) have all pledged their loyalty to the new caliph, and that Bara Mbacké was visited by both President Abdoulaye Wade and Senegalese opposition leaders within 48 hours of his uncle's passing.

Bara Mbacké is the first son of Mouhamadou Fallilou Mbacké, himself the first son of Shaykh Amadou Bamba. At 82 he is the oldest man to be appointed caliph of the Mouride. He is reported to have been trained by his father while caliph (1945-1968), and is said to speak a number of languages, including Arabic, French, and English.

References

• PORTRAIT DE MOUHAMADOU LAMINE BARA MBACKE LE NOUVEAU KHALIF GENERAL DES MOURIDES, Nettali.net, 29 December, 2007.
• Nouveau Khalif de Touba : Serigne Bara Falilou choisit ses hommes, Nettali 31 December 2007.
• Mouhamadou Lamine Bara MBACKE : Un intellectuel doublé d'un travailleur, Wal Fadjri, source unknown.
• Serigne Bara Mbacké intronisé dans la discipline mouride, Le Soliel (Senegal)
• Senegal's powerful Mouride caliph dies at 92, Reuters Africa, Sun 30 Dec 2007.
• FACTBOX: Senegal's powerful Mourides have global reach, Reuters, 29 Dec 2007
• Senegal brotherhood leader dies, BBC News, 29 December 2007