Large demonstrations have erupted across parts of Sudan praising President Donald Trump after the United States formally designated the Sudanese branch of the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.
Many Sudanese protesters say the move fulfills a demand they have made for decades as the country has struggled through years of conflict, political instability, and violence linked to Islamist factions.
Images and messages circulating widely on social media show Sudanese citizens marching in the streets carrying signs thanking the American president for the designation.
One widely shared Arabic message described the demonstrations in glowing terms: "The Sudanese people are marching in celebration of the designation of the Muslim Brotherhood in Sudan as a terrorist group, and are thanking US President Donald Trump for this decision, which the Sudanese people have been waiting for for 35 years, and which targets this terrorist group that has been killing the Sudanese people on the basis of religion, color and racism."
The demonstrations came this week after the U.S. State Department and the Treasury Department announced that Sudan's Muslim Brotherhood — also known locally as the Islamist movement often called "al-Kizan" — had been placed on the U.S. list of "specially designated global terrorist" organizations.
The designation will take effect as a full foreign terrorist organization listing on March 16.
The announcement was made by Massad Boulos, senior adviser for Arab and African affairs, who said the move was part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to confront violent extremist groups destabilizing Sudan and the wider region.
"Under the leadership of President Donald J. Trump, in designating the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and Specially Designated Global Terrorist, the United States continues using all available tools to counter terrorism, counteract the malign influence of Iran, and hold accountable those who have perpetrated crimes against civilians in Sudan," Boulos said.
He added that the Sudanese people "have suffered immensely" during the country's long civil conflict and urged all parties to accept a humanitarian truce so aid can reach civilians.
The designation follows an executive order signed by Trump on Nov. 24, 2025, that laid the legal groundwork for targeting branches of the Muslim Brotherhood around the world.
Acting under the authority of the Immigration and Nationality Act and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the order directed the State Department and the Treasury Department to investigate specific Brotherhood chapters and determine whether they should be designated as terrorist organizations.
The executive order described the Muslim Brotherhood as a transnational network founded in Egypt in 1928 that now operates throughout the Middle East and beyond.
According to the administration, several of its branches have supported or facilitated violent campaigns that threaten U.S. allies and regional stability.
The order instructed U.S. officials to identify Brotherhood entities involved in terrorism, freeze their assets, block financial transactions, and coordinate with international partners to dismantle their operations.
Sudan became a key focus of the policy due to the role Islamist factions have played in the country's brutal conflict. Various militias linked to Sudan's Islamist movement have been accused of atrocities against civilians and of fueling ethnic and religious violence.
Some of those factions are allied with powerful figures within the Sudanese military establishment, including networks tied to political figures and militias operating alongside the country's armed forces.
U.S. officials say several of these militias have received outside support, including assistance linked to Iran's regional network.
Among the armed groups targeted by Washington are Islamist militias such as the Al-Bara' ibn Malik Brigade, which U.S. officials say has received backing from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The designation also comes as Sudan's civil war — involving forces loyal to Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and rival commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo — enters its fourth year with no clear resolution.
U.S. officials say extremist factions connected to the Brotherhood have complicated diplomatic efforts aimed at securing a ceasefire and stabilizing the country.
The Trump administration has also linked Sudan's Islamist movement to a wider network of Brotherhood-aligned groups across the Middle East. In recent months, Washington imposed sanctions on Brotherhood branches in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon as part of a broader campaign to disrupt their financing and military cooperation with militant organizations.
For many Sudanese protesters now celebrating in the streets, the U.S. designation represents more than a diplomatic step — they see it as long-delayed international recognition of what they describe as decades of repression and violence carried out under Islamist rule.
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