Washington warns of further sanctions against Sudan’s Islamist movement

The US administration has issued a strong warning to Sudan’s Muslim Brotherhood movement and its fighters, whom it says receive training and support from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), signalling that further sanctions could follow.

The warning follows the announcement by the USA last week of a new raft of sanctions on Sudan, billed as “taking further action against those responsible for perpetuating violence, obstructing peace efforts, and fuelling the war in Sudan.”

US Senior Advisor for Arab and African Affairs, Massad Boulos, told the London-based newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat that the US State Department designated the Sudanese Islamic Movement in March as both a Global Terrorist Organisation and a Foreign Criminal Organisation. He accused fighters affiliated with the movement of receiving training and support from the IRGC and of committing abuses against civilians.

Boulos said the US administration had previously designated the Al-Baraa bin Malik Brigade in September 2025 because of its role in Sudan’s war and its links to Iran.

He added that Washington would continue to use “all available tools” to deny Iran and groups linked to it the resources needed to support what the United States describes as terrorism, and indicated that additional designations and sanctions remained under consideration.

No military solution

Boulos reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to working towards an end to the war in Sudan, insisting that there is no military solution to the conflict.

He called on the warring parties to enter negotiations without preconditions in order to reach a political settlement that would end the violence and ease the suffering of civilians.

The US official said President Donald Trump’s administration was working with international partners to facilitate a humanitarian ceasefire, end external military support to the warring parties, ensure unhindered humanitarian access and support a process leading to a civilian transition and lasting peace.

He added that Sudan “will not be able to return to independent civilian rule, preserve its unity or fulfil the aspirations of its people except through peace and stability”.

No loans or debt relief

As previously reported by Radio Dabanga, the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved a bill last week, directing US representatives at international financial institutions (such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund) to oppose providing loans or debt relief to the Sudanese government, except in cases of emergency humanitarian projects. The Prevention of External Aggression and Escalation of Conflict in Sudan Act of 2026 (or Peace in Sudan Act) also prohibits foreign aid for non-humanitarian purposes and forbids any financial support for developing the capacities of Sudanese government institutions or providing security and military assistance to the country.

Chemical weapons’

In May 2025, the US formally accused Sudan’s government of using chemical weapons during its ongoing war with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), in what it says is a clear breach of international law. Sudan is a party to the Chemical Weapons Convention, which prohibits the development, production, and use of chemical arms. Being found in violation of the agreement is a serious diplomatic warning and puts the de facto government even more at odds with the international community as the war continues.

Genocide

As reported by Radio Dabanga in January 2025, the US accused Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of committing genocide and imposed sanctions on its leader, RSF Commander Mohamed ‘Hemedti’ Dagalo.

Visa restrictions

In June 2023, the USA imposed visa restrictions on “specific individuals in Sudan, including officials from the SAF, RSF, and leaders from the former Omar Al Bashir regime, responsible for, or complicit in, undermining Sudan’s democratic transition”. US sanctions have also been imposed on four companies “generating revenue from, and contributing to, the conflict in Sudan”.