Sudan releases jailed Islamist opposition leader

KHARTOUM, Sudan – Sudan has released an Islamist opposition leader jailed for nearly four months after he called for a Tunisia-style uprising against the government.

Hassan Turabi was detained in mid-January, but authorities never gave a reason.

His wife, Wessal al-Mahdi, says authorities released him Monday, also without explanation.

Turabi was once an ally of President Omar al-Bashir. He helped bring him to power in a 1989 coup and to set up an Islamist-style government.

The two fell out in 1999 as al-Bashir tried to shed Sudan's image as a pariah state.

Turabi, in his late 70s, tried to turn Sudan into a global headquarters for political Islam and hosted conferences for regional Islamist movements. He also provided a home for Osama bin Laden from 1990-1996.