Rhino: Agencies – After the United States announced the designation of the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood, popularly known as “Al-Kizan,” as a specially designated global terrorist entity and began procedures to include it on the list of foreign terrorist organizations, the decision was welcomed by Sudanese political and civil forces.
The US State Department announced today that it has designated the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood as a specially designated global terrorist entity and intends to designate it as a foreign terrorist organization effective March 16, 2026.
According to the US State Department statement, the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood uses excessive violence against civilians to undermine efforts to resolve the conflict in Sudan and spread its violent Islamist ideology. Its fighters, many of whom receive training and support from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, have carried out mass executions of civilians.
The Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood’s Al-Baraa Bin Malik Brigade was designated under Executive Order 14098 in September 2025 for its role in the brutal war in Sudan.
Observers believe that this move could help tighten the noose on the sources of funding and armament for groups involved in the conflict and pave the way for a more decisive international approach to support efforts to end the war in Sudan.
Political welcome
The US decision was widely welcomed by Sudanese political and civil forces, who considered it an important step in isolating extremist groups and contributing to ending the war.
The Sudan Founding Alliance (TASIS) welcomed the decision, considering it a response to the aspirations of Sudanese who took part in the December revolution demanding an end to the long-standing rule of the Islamic movement.
The Alliance affirmed that this classification represents a moral and political victory for all Sudanese who resisted the former regime since the 1989 coup, noting that the decision reflects the beginning of a process to hold those responsible for the violations that took place in the country accountable.
Mohammed Hassan al-Taishi, prime minister of the transitional government, said that since entering politics, the Islamic movement has contributed to deepening divisions within Sudan and hijacking the state to serve the global project of the Muslim Brotherhood.
He added that the group has been involved in illegal activities, including assassinations, smuggling, human trafficking, drug and arms trafficking, as well as igniting wars, the latest of which was the devastating war that broke out in April, stressing that classifying it as a terrorist organization represents a restoration of the Sudanese people’s dignity and paves the way for building a state based on justice and pluralism.
Support from civil forces
In the same context, the Civil Democratic Alliance of Revolutionary Forces (Sumoud) welcomed the US decision, considering that it is based on the group’s use of excessive violence against civilians and its role in prolonging the conflict and disrupting efforts to bring peace to Sudan.
The coalition clarified that the designation includes the Sudanese Islamic Movement and its armed wing known as the Al-Baraa Bin Malik Brigade, noting that the group has recruited nearly 20,000 fighters, some of whom have been trained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
Babiker Faisal, head of the executive office of the Federal Assembly and head of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Sumoud Alliance, said that the US decision came at a critical time, as the Islamic Movement plays a key role in the ongoing war in Sudan, which is entering its third year.
Faisal explained that completing the procedures to include the group on the list of foreign terrorist organizations will cut off sources of funding and the flow of weapons to affiliated militias, in addition to limiting the activities of the organization’s leaders responsible for continuing the war.
He added that the US move represents an important step towards ending the war in Sudan and will also contribute to reducing the regional role played by the Islamic movement in supporting extremist groups in the region.
A historic step
For his part, former Sudanese Justice Minister Nasr al-Din Abdul Bari described the US decision as a long-awaited historic step, noting that the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood has played a pivotal role for decades in the deterioration of the economic, political, social, and security conditions in the country.
Abdul Bari explained that the Islamic movement’s ideological project had transformed Sudan from a country with a respected regional and international standing into a country suffering from isolation, internal wars, institutional collapse, and deep social divisions.
He emphasized that the designation represents a recognition of a historical fact known to most Sudanese, namely that the Islamic movement has placed power and ideology above the interests of the Sudanese state and its people.
He noted that the US decision could contribute to international efforts to end the war in Sudan by reducing the resources and networks on which the group and its affiliated militias rely.
