By Our Correspondent
On a daily basis, international and local news agencies report civilian deaths in Sudan since the outbreak of war in mid-April 2023 between the army based in Port Sudan and the forces of the Sudan Founding Alliance, “Ta’sis.”
Six people, including a woman and children, were killed and dozens more—including children—were injured on Sunday, March 8, 2026, in the city of Al-Da’ein, the capital of East Darfur, following an airstrike that targeted a fuel depot. The bombardment extended to nearby residential homes, resulting in civilian casualties and injuries.
According to the Sudanese newspaper MadaMik, six people died, including a woman and her children, in addition to another person who succumbed to suffocation. The paper explained that the victims belonged to the family of a teacher who lived near the site of the explosion.
Eyewitnesses confirmed that they saw the drone flying over the city as it struck a site used for fuel storage belonging to a trader west of the city market. The strike triggered a powerful explosion and a blaze that caused widespread panic among residents.
The newspaper reported that the attack was carried out by a drone affiliated with the army in Port Sudan. It noted that the strike came one day after other drone raids targeted two towns in the state of West Kordofan. The “Supreme Council for the Affairs of Dar Hamar,” a community body, said in a statement issued Saturday evening that drones had bombed the market in the town of Abu Zabad earlier that day, killing 24 people and wounding dozens with varying degrees of injuries.
Drones… Fueling the War
Meanwhile, the army in Port Sudan relies heavily on drones to conduct its military operations, which, according to reports, often strike areas where civilians gather.
Turkey is among the army’s most prominent partners in supplying combat drones, particularly the “Bayraktar Akinci,” several of which have been shot down more than once by the air defenses of Ta’sis forces, in addition to drones supplied by Iran.
Iran has also been one of the main exporters of drones to Sudan for several years, with Khartoum continuously working to enhance its capabilities from reconnaissance to attack.
Iranian drones used by Sudan include the “Ababil-3,” a small and lightweight unmanned aircraft capable of carrying a 45-kilogram warhead. In addition, Sudan operates a series of drones known as the “Mohajer,” including the “Mohajer-2,” “Mohajer-4,” and “Mohajer-6,” reflecting Khartoum’s interest in developing its drone capabilities, according to media reports.
Earlier in 2024, Bloomberg reported, citing Western officials, that Iran had supplied the Sudanese army with “Mohajer-6” drones capable of reconnaissance missions and transporting explosives.
Three Western officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Sudan had received shipments of the “Mohajer-6,” a single-engine drone manufactured in Iran and capable of carrying guided munitions. Analysts have estimated that arming the Sudanese army with Iranian drones “strengthens Tehran’s military influence in the Middle East,” as Iran supports armed groups in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthi movement in Yemen, as well as groups in Syria and Iraq.
Growing Rapprochement
Observers underscore the growing rapprochement between Iran and the Sudanese army and its allies, noting that it intensified following the outbreak of war in Sudan in mid-April 2023 and became publicly visible after the launch of the joint military operation by the United States and Israel against Iran.
Brotherhood-affiliated leaders, including Youssef Alam and Yasser Obeidallah, announced the readiness of their fighters to head to Iran to confront any ground incursion, sparking wide debate about the extent of the Muslim Brotherhood’s penetration into the structures of power.
Meanwhile, the Gatestone Institute, which holds significant influence in shaping American policy debates, stated that video clips in which Brotherhood-linked figures within the Sudanese army spoke reflect the core of Iran’s hostile ideological doctrine.
In a new report, the institute called for the Muslim Brotherhood to become the next target in the war on terrorism after the elimination of the Iranian threat. It warned that the ongoing war in Sudan since mid-April 2023 is creating fertile ground for the resurgence of Iranian ideological influence.
The report noted that the Muslim Brotherhood and the Iranian regime share a deep hostility toward the West and seek to undermine moderate Arab and Islamic states.
It added that the statements made by Muslim Brotherhood-aligned leaders allied with the Sudanese army in the circulated videos reflect themes commonly found within Iran’s regional network, including hostility towards the United States, the West, and moderate Arab and Gulf countries. These narratives, it said, are framed in religious ideological terminology that constitutes the core of what Iran calls the “Axis of Resistance,” a loose network of movements and militias aligned with Tehran’s geopolitical ambitions.
The report concluded that the Muslim Brotherhood is no less dangerous than the Iranian regime, noting that the group continues to maintain its presence despite being banned as a terrorist organization in some Arab countries, and remains active through networks and branches in Western states via organizations, research centers, and charities that promote its ideology.
Official U.S. Designation
Following the report, the U.S. Department of State announced on Monday, March 9, 2026, the designation of the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity, with the intention of also designating it as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, in a move aimed at isolating the group and cutting off its sources of funding.
In a statement, the department said that the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood—comprising the “Sudanese Islamic Movement” and its armed wing, the “Al-Bara bin Malik Brigade”—uses violence against civilians to undermine efforts to end the conflict in Sudan and to advance its extremist Islamist ideology.
The statement added that the group has contributed more than 20,000 fighters to the ongoing war in Sudan, noting that many of them have received training and support from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
According to the department, fighters from the Al-Bara bin Malik Brigade have carried out mass executions of civilians in areas under their control and have repeatedly conducted field executions targeting civilians based on race, ethnicity, or suspected affiliation with opposition groups.
Reports also indicate that Abdel Fattah al-Burhan provided, through negotiations, the names of Brotherhood leaders to Washington and requested that the group be designated a terrorist organization in exchange for avoiding his own designation and potential prosecution.
Asset Freezes
Under the designation, all property and interests belonging to the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood within the United States—or under the control of U.S. persons—will be frozen, and American citizens will be prohibited from engaging in any commercial transactions with the group.
Under the decision, international banks and financial institutions will find themselves compelled to sever ties and freeze the accounts of the group and its investment fronts in order to avoid exclusion from the global financial system (SWIFT) or exposure to multibillion-dollar U.S. penalties.
Providing any form of “material support”—whether funds, shelter, training, weapons, or even logistical advice—will constitute a federal crime punishable by lengthy prison sentences. The law also allows the United States to pursue individuals and entities in third countries if it is proven that they used the American financial system to facilitate the group’s activities.
