udanese people flocked on Sunday morning to attend the funeral of Hassan al Turabi, the leader of the National Congress Party, who died on Saturday at the age of 84.

Sudanese presidency mourned Turabi who suffered a heart attack on Saturday and was moved to hospital in the Sudanese capital.

Turabi was a religious and Islamist political leader in Sudan. He has been called "one of the most influential figures in modern Sudanese politics", and a "longtime hard-line ideological leader". He was frequently imprisoned in Sudan.

From 1989 until 2001, Turabi served as what observers have called the "intellectual architect" sometimes officially as leader of the NIF and sometimes as speaker of the parliamentary assembly.

In March 1996, national elections were held and al-Turabi was elected to a seat in the National Assembly, where he served as speaker during the 1990s. This was his first instance of holding a political position with some consistency.

Source : MENA