Sudan's best known Islamist, Hassan al-Turabi, died at the age of 84. In and out of government for decades, he founded the National Islamic Front and later the Popular Congress Party. Aljazeera's report of his death is very different than the one from CNN.
I first met al-Turabi in 1983 when assigned to the American embassy in Khartoum and saw him sporadically until 2007. He was an engaging individual. I respected his intelligence even if his philosophy troubled me.