World Notes Sudan

Eighteen months ago, Sudanese President Gaafar Nimeiri proclaimed he was imposing strict Islamic law on his nation of 21 million. Traditional Koranic punishments were mandated, like amputating the right hands of thieves. Islamic economic laws were introduced, including the banning of interest charges. Many Sudanese opposed the laws, particularly Christians and animists in the south who are still fighting government troops. Early this year Nimeiri ordered the execution of one rival, Mahmoud Taha, 76. But among the few who supported Islamization were members of the Muslim Brotherhood, a militant fundamentalist sect banned in many parts of the Arab world. Last week Nimeiri, fearing the Brotherhood's growing power, unexpectedly cracked down on the group, jailing about 150 of its members, including its leader, Hassan al Turabi, 53, who was also stripped of his post as Nimeiri's assistant for foreign affairs.

According to one Western diplomat in Khartoum, "The arrests seem to represent a shift away from the extreme policies of the past toward an atmosphere of reconciliation." Whether the President's latest moves will calm the country, says a former government minister, "depends on what Nimeiri ; does next."