A Sudanese court extended Wednesday the detention of Islamist opposition leader Hassan Al Turabi and four of his colleagues, said reports.
Turabi and his Popular National Congress (PNC) associates have been jailed since February, charged with attempting to overthrow the government by force in collaboration with the armed opposition Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA).
Turabi is considered the spiritual father of the Islamic Salvation Revolution, the name given to the bloodless coup that brought President Omar Al Bashir to power in 1989.
The Islamist leader and ideologue fell out with Bashir in 1999, and became an opposition figure after he was deprived of his position as parliament speaker.
In May, security forces stormed a PNC general assembly meeting and detained 17 party members. Four of the detainees - including Turabi's son Siddiq - were released on the same day. Two others were detained later.
Sudan's war and related famine have left some 2 million people dead.
The battle lines have mainly been drawn between Christians and animists in the south, and their northern Islamist government foes who want to impose Sharia, or Islamic law, on the entire country.
Oil also plays into the equation, with Sudan's rich reserves attracting the attention of the US and multinational companies - Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
