In a significant escalation of U.S. counterterrorism policy in Northeast Africa, the administration of Marco Rubio announced on March 9 that the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood has been formally designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), entity by the United States Department of State. The State Department also stated its intent to designate the group as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO), beginning March 16, 2026, a move that would trigger sweeping sanctions and legal restrictions against the group and its supporters.
The announcement marks one of the most consequential U.S. policy decisions regarding Islamist factions operating in the ongoing conflict in Sudan, which has been engulfed in a devastating civil war since 2023.
Escalating Violence in Sudan’s Civil War
According to the State Department statement, the Sudanese branch of the Muslim Brotherhood has played a destabilising role in the country’s conflict by using extreme violence against civilians and actively obstructing peace efforts.
Secretary Rubio said the organization has:
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Conducted mass executions of civilians
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Advanced a violent Islamist ideological agenda
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Contributed to worsening humanitarian conditions in war-torn Sudan
The conflict in Sudan—primarily between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces—has fragmented the country and created space for a range of militias and ideological factions. U.S. officials say the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood has taken advantage of the power vacuum to build armed units and expand its influence.
One of those units, the al-Baraa Bin Malik Brigade, had already been designated under counterterrorism authorities in September 2025 due to its alleged involvement in atrocities committed during the war.
Iranian Links and IRGC Support
A central justification for the new designation is the alleged operational relationship between the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood and Iran’s powerful military arm, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
U.S. officials claim that fighters connected to the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood have received:
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Training
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Financial support
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Operational guidance
from the IRGC.
Rubio described the Iranian government as “the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism,” arguing that Tehran has long relied on the IRGC to project influence through militant groups across multiple regions.
Washington asserts that Iran’s support for Islamist militant factions in Sudan mirrors its broader strategy of cultivating proxy networks across the Middle East and Africa.
Legal Authorities Behind the Designation
The measures announced by the State Department were implemented under two major U.S. legal frameworks:
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Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which governs the designation of Foreign Terrorist Organisations.
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Executive Order 13224, a counterterrorism order used to freeze assets and block financial transactions with designated individuals or groups.
The designation as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist allows the U.S. Treasury to:
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Freeze assets connected to the organization within U.S. jurisdiction
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Criminalize material support to the group
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Restrict financial transactions involving its members or affiliates
If the FTO designation takes effect as planned on March 16, additional legal consequences will follow, including immigration bans and stronger enforcement mechanisms against supporters abroad.
Broader Implications for the Muslim Brotherhood Network
The designation may also have broader geopolitical implications because the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood is linked ideologically to the wider Muslim Brotherhood movement, a transnational Islamist network founded in Egypt in 1928.
While some governments—such as those of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates—already classify the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, the United States historically has not designated the global movement as a whole.
By targeting the Sudanese branch specifically, Washington appears to be signaling a more aggressive stance toward armed factions tied to the Brotherhood that participate directly in militant activity.
Humanitarian Crisis Context
The announcement comes amid one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. The war in Sudan has resulted in:
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Tens of thousands of deaths
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Millions displaced internally and across borders
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Severe food shortages across multiple regions
International aid agencies warn that continued fragmentation of armed groups—including Islamist militias—makes a negotiated settlement increasingly difficult.
U.S. officials argue that isolating organisations accused of committing atrocities is necessary to stabilise the region and protect civilians.
U.S. Strategy Moving Forward
Rubio emphasized that the United States intends to use “all available tools” to disrupt terrorist financing and prevent militant organizations from expanding their reach.
The State Department indicated that future measures could include:
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Additional sanctions on affiliated militias
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Targeted financial actions against international supporters
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Diplomatic coordination with regional partners
The designation of the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood therefore represents both a counterterrorism move and a signal of Washington’s broader strategy toward Iran-backed militant networks operating beyond the Middle East.
