The military regime headed by General al-Bashir took over in a coup in 1989. It banned all political parties except the the National Islamic Front (NIF), which emerged as the force behind the coup. Its leader, Dr. Hassan al-Turabi, does not hold ministerial office, but is Sudan's most influential figure. A strict policy of Arabization and Islamicization, including "sharia" law, has been imposed, but is ineffective in the southern areas held by non-Muslim rebels. Dissent elsewhere has been violently crushed. Many opposition leaders are in exile.
