Editing Omar al-Bashir (section)

===1989 coup and military rule===
Bashir, frustrated with the country’s leadership, led a successful coup in 1989.<ref name = coup></ref> He became chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation, which ruled the country. Bashir dissolved the parliament, banned political parties, and strictly controlled the press. 

He was supported by [[Hassan al-Turabi]], a Muslim extremist and leader of the [[National Islamic Front]] (NIF). Together they began to Islamize the country, and in March 1991 sharia law was introduced. This move further emphasized the division between the north and the mainly animist and Christian south.<ref name = Turabi>[https://foreignpolicy.com/2016/03/08/the-islamist-behind-sudans-throne-turabi/ The Islamist Behind Sudan’s Throne], ''Foreign  Policy''</ref>