Sudan's Islamist thinker, opposition leader dies 84

Sudanese Islamist thinker and leader of the opposition Popular Congress Party (PCP) Hassan al-Turabi died 84 in Khartoum Saturday, Sudan TV reported.

The report did not give any further details, while no statement from the government or the PCP has been released yet.

A medical source at the hospital where al-Turabi was earlier admitted has reportedly said that the Islamist leader died of a brain stroke.

Earlier in the day the opposition PCP said al-Turabi was "exercising his regular work at the PCP headquarters" when he fell ill and was rushed to a hospital in Khartoum to receive medical treatment.

Al-Turabi, a prominent Sudanese Islamist thinker and politician, graduated from Khartoum University School of Law and also studied in London and at the Sorbonne in Paris, where he gained a PhD.

Al-Turabi, who fluently speaks French, English and German, joined the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood and became its leader in 1969, but later split from the group.

He was elected Speaker of the Sudanese parliament, the National Assembly, in 1996 during the rule of the National Salvation Revolution. He was also selected as Secretary General of Sudan's ruling National Congress Party (NCP) in 1998.

In 1999, al-Turabi defected from the NCP due to differences with President Omar al-Bashir.

In 2001, al-Turai established the opposition PCP and became its secretary general. Endit