Security

US Designates Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood

  • Policy Office

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The U.S. Department of State has designated the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist and intends to designate the group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, effective March 16, 2026.

The U.S. Department of State has designated the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist and intends to designate the group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, effective March 16, 2026. The designation was announced on March 9.

Sudanese Islamist elements have long been a destructive force in Sudan, most notably during the Islamist regime of former President Omar al-Bashir (Bashir), who governed Sudan for 30 years until 2019. More recently, Sudanese Islamists have played a key role in derailing Sudan’s progress toward a democratic transition, including by undermining the former civilian-led transitional government and the Framework Political Agreement process.

This contributed to the outbreak of fighting between Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023. Since then, an estimated 150,000 people have been killed, and more than 14 million have been displaced, giving rise to the world’s worst ongoing humanitarian crisis.

The Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood (SMB), composed of the Sudanese Islamic Movement and its armed wing – the al-Baraa Bin Malik Brigade (BBMB), uses terror against civilians to undermine efforts to resolve the conflict in Sudan and advance its violent Islamist ideology.

The SMB has contributed upwards of 20,000 fighters to the war in Sudan, many receiving training and other support from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The SMB’s BBMB fighters have conducted mass executions of civilians in areas they captured, and repeatedly and summarily executed civilians based on race, ethnicity, or perceived affiliation with opposition groups.

The Treasury Department designated BBMB in September 2025 pursuant to Executive Order 14098, “Imposing Sanctions on Certain Persons Destabilizing Sudan and Undermining the Goal of a Democratic Transition” for its role in Sudan’s brutal war.

Terrorist designations expose and isolate entities and individuals, denying them access to the U.S. financial system and the resources they need to carry out attacks.

All property and interests in property of the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood that are in the United States or that are in possession or control of a U.S. person are blocked. U.S. persons are generally prohibited from conducting business with sanctioned persons. Persons that engage in certain transactions or activities with the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood may expose themselves to sanctions risk. Notably, engaging in certain transactions with them entails risk of secondary sanctions pursuant to counterterrorism authorities.

“Sudanese Islamist groups have formed dangerous alliances with the Iranian regime. We will not stand by idly and allow them to threaten regional and global security,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John Hurley. “The Treasury Department is using our powerful sanctions tools to disrupt this activity and protect U.S. national security.”