Nyala, March 13 (Darfur24)
Hundreds of residents in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur State, took to the streets on Thursday in a mass rally welcoming the U.S. administration’s decision to designate the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.
The U.S. State Department announced on Monday that it had added the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood to its list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists, with the possibility of formally designating it a Foreign Terrorist Organization starting March 16.
The city center of Nyala witnessed large marches during which participants chanted slogans associated with Sudan’s December Revolution and slogans against the Muslim Brotherhood, known locally as the “Kizan.”
Local residents told Darfur24 that authorities closed the Grand Market and the Al-Junaynah bus station market in the morning hours. Traders were reportedly asked by members of the Federal Police to shut their shops, while satellite internet (Wi-Fi) service shops were also ordered to close.
According to the U.S. State Department, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard trained members of the Al-Baraa Bin Malik Brigade, which is linked to the Islamic Movement. Washington accused the group of using violence against civilians to undermine efforts to resolve the conflict in Sudan and to promote its extremist ideology.
The “Establishment” government led by the Rapid Support Forces and based in Nyala had previously declared the Sudanese Islamic Movement a terrorist entity.
Civilian political forces calling for an end to the war and a democratic transition have also demanded that the Sudanese Islamic Movement be classified as a terrorist organization, accusing it of fueling the ongoing conflict in the country.