Former Sudanese President Jaafar Nimeiri - who imposed strict lslamic law on Sudan - has died.
A statement from Sudan's presidential office says the 79-year-old former leader died from an unspecified illness. It says he will be buried on Sunday in Omdurman near the capital, Khartoum.
Mr. Nimeiri came to power in a coup in 1969 and served for 16 years until he too was ousted by a coup in 1985 while visiting the United States.
President Nimeiri imposed Islamic Sharia on Sudan in 1983, a move that alienated the largely non-Muslim south, and is widely viewed as the catalyst for the nation's 22-year civil war.
Following his ouster, Mr. Nimeiri lived in exile in Egypt. He returned to Sudan in 1999.
Some information for this report provided by AFP and Reuters.
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