US designates Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organization

US Designates Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood as Terrorist Group

The US State Department has designated the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood as a “specially designated global terrorist” (SDGT) and will label it as a “foreign terrorist organisation” (FTO) starting next week. The designation was announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who stated that the group uses “unrestrained violence against civilians to undermine efforts to resolve the conflict in Sudan and advance its violent Islamist ideology.”

The SDGT designation allows for economic sanctions against the group, while the FTO label makes it illegal to provide material support to it. The State Department has also accused Muslim Brotherhood fighters in Sudan of conducting “mass executions of civilians.” The US move comes amid ongoing violence in Sudan, where the military is fighting against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group.

The United Arab Emirates has welcomed the US decision, stating that it reflects the administration’s efforts to halt excessive violence and destabilizing activities carried out by the Muslim Brotherhood. The designation was first announced in January, when the Trump administration blacklisted Muslim Brotherhood affiliates in Lebanon, Jordan, and Sudan. The group was established in 1928 by Egyptian Muslim scholar Hassan al-Banna and has branches across the Middle East.

The US designation is part of a broader crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood, which has been accused of links to extremist groups. The group claims to be committed to peaceful political participation, but its affiliates have rejected previous blacklisting efforts.

Source: Al Jazeera