Today's Edition
By Imam Mohammad Tawhidi*
In the heart of Africa, where the White and Blue Nile converge to nourish a land rich with history and pain, Sudan today endures an unending nightmare. Since April 2023, the country has descended into a bloody conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives, displaced millions, and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Behind this devastation looms the shadow of the Brotherhood; not as a bystander, but as a driving force behind Sudan’s collapse.
The Brotherhood’s influence in Sudan dates back to the 1940s, when cultural and familial ties with Egypt carried its ideology across the border. Founded by Hassan al-Banna in 1928, the movement spread through returning Sudanese students who absorbed its doctrines in Cairo, and Egyptian teachers who propagated its message in Sudanese schools. By the 1950s, the group had established itself formally under the leadership of Amin Hassan Omar, who founded the first Brotherhood “family” cell in Khartoum. Soon, it became part of the broader “Islamic Movement” led by Hassan al-Turabi, who transformed it into a powerful political force backed by the military.
The defining moment came in June 1989, when the Brotherhood allied with army officers under Omar Al-Bashir to seize power. This was no ordinary coup; it was an ideological project to impose what they called an “Islamic state”. They enforced a false version of Sharia, built an internal security apparatus that crushed dissent through torture and imprisonment, and supported terrorist organisations worldwide.
During the 1990s, Sudan became a haven for figures like Osama bin Laden and “Carlos the Jackal”, earning its place on international terrorism lists for backing violent militias across Africa and the Middle East. The consequences were disastrous: the Darfur war in 2003, South Sudan’s secession in 2011, and crippling sanctions that drained more than $700 billion from the economy.
For three decades, the Brotherhood did not build a state — they destroyed one. Corruption flourished, poverty deepened, and ethnic and regional conflicts erupted under their extremist agenda that viewed “the other” as a threat to be eliminated, not a partner to coexist with. Even after Bashir’s fall in 2019, the Brotherhood never disappeared; it merely retreated into the shadows, waiting for its moment to return.
That moment came with the eruption of war in April 2023 between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Through their political wing, the National Congress Party, the Brotherhood backed the army; an institution deeply infused with their ideology. But the truth runs deeper: the Brotherhood views this war as an opportunity to reclaim power, punish the Sudanese people, and halt any path toward reform.
Their actions are calculated and destructive. They fuel divisions, reject ceasefires, and manipulate media narratives to justify continued fighting. In April 2025, Tunisian experts warned of Brotherhood attempts to “regain influence within the army”, exploiting the war as a shield against accountability. As the army loses its final foothold in Darfur with the fall of Al-Fashir, the Brotherhood now calls for a “general popular mobilisation” , a euphemism for sending civilians to die under the guise of “popular resistance”. This is not defence; it is deliberate exhaustion of the nation to preserve the Brotherhood’s indirect control.
By supporting armed militias, the Brotherhood is transforming Sudan into an open battlefield for terrorism and threatening the security of the Red Sea and the wider region. They have turned Sudan into a hub for extremist groups like ISIS. And just 48 hours ago, Al-Qaeda publicly announced its support for the Brotherhood in Sudan and issued threats against Gulf states; an alarming sign of coordination among terrorist networks, regardless of their differing banners.
Sudan, a cradle of civilisation, deserves far better than endless wars and ethnic strife. Today, as international pressure mounts for a ceasefire, the Sudanese people must reject the Brotherhood’s grip and demand a civilian, inclusive government that holds war criminals accountable and rebuilds the nation free from extremist ideology. The country must also call for unity with its Arab neighbours and the wider Islamic ummah, standing against the Brotherhood’s destructive agenda.
Peace and stability will only return when Sudan severs its ties with the Brotherhood; a movement that has brought nothing but ruin. The voice of the Sudanese people must rise above the voice of division, and their will must overcome the forces of chaos.
*The writer is a Parliamentary Advisor and Research Partner with the think-tank TRENDS Research & Advisory
