Sudan’s former ruling National Congress Party has begun repositioning members involved in military operations following US sanctions targeting the party and organisations linked to the Islamist movement, according to sources cited by the Sudanese newspaper Sawt al-Umma.
The sources said senior party figures were reviewing how Islamist cadres participating in the war could be redistributed across armed groups and organisations supporting General al-Burhan army (SAF).
One source said a meeting chaired by former National Congress Party official Ahmed Haroun was held in March to discuss the consequences of the US measures and possible changes to the deployment of party members involved in combat operations.
The meeting reportedly examined plans to move Islamist fighters and organisers into different formations aligned with the SAF junta, allowing the network to continue operating while reducing its exposure to further international sanctions.
A second source said directives had been issued to study the possible dissolution of the Al-Baraa Ibn Malik Corps, one of the most prominent Islamist armed groups fighting alongside the SAF.
The proposal was reportedly part of a broader internal review aimed at restructuring the movement’s military and political fronts rather than ending their activities altogether.
Another source said members loyal to the former ruling party were being distributed among several pro-SAF formations. The National Movement Alliance was also reportedly instructed to exclude some openly Islamist-linked organisations from its political activities.
The reported measures suggest the National Congress Party is seeking to distance its official structures from sanctioned entities while preserving its influence inside the SAF’s wartime coalition.
The United States designated the Al-Baraa Ibn Malik Corps as a terrorist organisation in March. Washington and the European Union have also imposed sanctions on the group over its role in Sudan’s war and its links to the former regime’s Islamist networks.
US authorities have additionally targeted Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood-linked organisations and their military structures, accusing them of obstructing efforts to end the conflict and restore a civilian political transition.
The National Congress Party, which ruled Sudan under former president Omar al-Bashir, was dissolved following his removal in 2019. However, former regime figures and Islamist armed groups have re-emerged as influential supporters of the SAF since the war began in April 2023.
Neither the National Congress Party nor the Al-Baraa Ibn Malik Corps had publicly responded to the reported restructuring plans.
