The Native Courts Ordinance was a law in the

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

, passed by the Anglo-Egyptian colonial authorities in 1932.University of London.
Journal of African Law
'. London: Butterworth & Co, 1978. p. 53 The law conveyed judicial and political powers to government-recognized

sheikh Sheikh ( , , , , ''shuyūkh'' ) is an honorific title in the Arabic language, literally meaning "elder (administrative title), elder". It commonly designates a tribal chief or a Muslim ulama, scholar. Though this title generally refers to me ...

s in the northern areas of the country. The sheikhs were, through this law, charged with tax collection, overseeing infrastructure constructions and administering ‘native areas’ and given the authority to issue punishments upon the local population. Through this law, and the corresponding Chiefs Courts Ordinance for the southern parts of the Sudan, introduced what would be termed the ‘Native Administration’ by the British colonial system.Ryle, John.
The Sudan Handbook
'. Suffolk: James Currey Ltd, 2011. p. 111

References

Law of Sudan {{Sudan-stub