Sudan.net: Major political parties of Sudan: The National Islamic Front (NIF) [ID 12128]

"The Muslim Brotherhood, which originated in Egypt, has been active in Sudan since its formation there in 1949. It emerged from Muslim student groups that first began organizing in the universities during the 1940s, and its main support base has remained the college educated. The Muslim Brotherhood's objective in Sudan has been to institutionalize Islamic law throughout the country. Hassan Abdallah al Turabi, former dean of the School of Law at the University of Khartoum, had been the Muslim Brotherhood's secretary general since 1964. He began working with Nimeiri in the mid-1970s, and, as his attorney general in 1983, played a key role in the controversial introduction of the sharia. After the overthrow of Nimeiri, Turabi was instrumental in setting up the NIF, a Brotherhood-dominated organization that included several other small Islamic parties. Following the 1989 coup, the RCC-NS arrested Turabi, as well as the leaders of other political parties, and held him in solitary confinement for several months. Nevertheless, this action failed to dispel a pervasive belief in Sudan that Turabi and the NIF actively collaborated with the RCC-NS. NIF influence within the government was evident in its policies and in the presence of several NIF members in the cabinet."

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19.09.2008 - Source: US Department of State

The National Congress Party (NCP) draws its support from conservative Arab Muslims in the North ("International Religious Freedom Report 2008") [ID 24771]

"Religion plays a prominent role in the complex system of political alliances.

Northern Muslims have dominated the political and economic system since independence in 1956. [...]

The dominant political power in Sudan, the National Congress Party (NCP), draws its support from conservative Arab Muslims in the north.

Its previous incarnation, the National Islamic Front, ruled from 1989 to 1998."

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