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| Former Sudan leader Nimeiri dies | Former Sudan leader Nimeiri dies |
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| Former Sudanese President Jaafar Nimeiri, who brought Islamic law to the country, has died at the age of 79, government officials say. | Former Sudanese President Jaafar Nimeiri, who brought Islamic law to the country, has died at the age of 79, government officials say. |
| Mr Nimeiri died after developing "an illness", presidential assistant Magdi Abdel Aziz said. He did not provide any further details. | Mr Nimeiri died after developing "an illness", presidential assistant Magdi Abdel Aziz said. He did not provide any further details. |
| Mr Nimeiri came to power in a 1969 coup that ended years of civilian rule in Africa's biggest nation. | Mr Nimeiri came to power in a 1969 coup that ended years of civilian rule in Africa's biggest nation. |
| He later became a close US ally before being ousted, also in a coup, in 1985. | He later became a close US ally before being ousted, also in a coup, in 1985. |
| "He was too ill to be taken out of the country for treatment," Mr Nimeiri's secretary Makkawi Ahmed was quoted as saying by Reuters. | |
| The funeral would be held on Sunday in Omdurman, near the capital Khartoum, officials said. | |
| Mr Nimeiri returned to Sudan in 1999 after spending 14 years in exile in Cairo, Egypt. |