Islamism in Sudan
The Islamist movement in Sudan started in universities and high schools as early as the 1940s under the influence of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood.
[1] In 1964, he became secretary-general of the Islamic Charter Front (ICF), an activist movement that served as the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood.
[1] Al-Turabi's philosophy drew selectively from Sudanese, Islamic, and Western political thought to fashion an ideology for the pursuit of power.
The Eid Conference of August 1954 resolved leadership conflicts, leading to the adoption of the name "The Muslim Brotherhood" for the movement in Sudan.
Al-Turabi expanded the Front's membership and turned it into a pressure group that led to the banning of the Sudanese Communist Party in November 1965.
[5] Following a failed coup attempt in June 1976, Gaafar Nimeiry sought "national reconciliation" and integrated Al-Sadiq al-Mahdi and Al-Turabi into the Sudanese Socialist Union's political bureau.
His association with the Abu Qurun Sufi order and his self-proclaimed position as imam led to his belief that he alone could interpret laws in line with the sharia.
[7] Nimeiri's Islamic phase resulted in renewed conflict in Southern Sudan in 1983, marking the end of the Addis Ababa Agreement of 1972, which had granted regional autonomy and recognised the diverse nature of Sudanese society.
The National Islamic Front (NIF), Ansar, and Khatmiyya Sufi order (DUP) played crucial roles in Sudan's politics.
It advocated for peaceful coexistence with Israel, gender equality, criticised Wahhabism, called for freedoms and refraining from implementing Islamic criminal punishments, and championed a federal social democratic government.
[5] After Nimeiri's regime fell due to the 1985 coup d'état, al-Turabi and his colleagues formed the National Islamic Front (NIF), which emerged as a significant opposition force following their success in the Constituent Assembly elections.
The NIF, led by al-Turabi, effectively blocked attempts by Sadiq al-Mahdi, the government and parliamentary majority leader, to repeal the controversial September laws and advance peace talks with the southern region.
Both the nation and the front faced a peace agreement proposed by Muhammad Othman al-Mirghani, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, with the Sudan People's Liberation Army, the main opposition in the south.
[5] Sadiq al-Mahdi, who initially opposed the Islamic laws he later supported, envisioned a fully Arabised and Islamised southern Sudan.
His failure to address Sudan's problems resulted in a military coup by Brigadier Genera Omar al-Bashir in June 1989, which further solidified Islamic principles.
[7] In response to growing challenges related to southern peace talks and the September Laws, Sadiq al-Mahdi reformed the Government of National Accord in February 1988.
In February 1989, the army issued a memorandum to the government, calling for the approval of Al-Mirghani's peace agreement and the resolution of the economic crisis.
[5] On 30 June 1989, Omar al-Bashir led a coup, come to be known as "National Rescue Revolution," the against the democratic government, citing economic failures and inability to establish Central African relations as reasons.
[5] In December 1991, the regime introduced a stricter penal code than the September laws and established the "People's Police," akin to Saudi Arabia's Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.
Training camps for armed Islamic groups were established in Sudan, and al-Turabi attempted mediation between Hamas and the Palestine Liberation Organization.
Al-Turabi responded by forming the "Popular Congress Party" and pragmatically signed a memorandum of understanding with the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, a former adversary, leading to his imprisonment.
[5] The Muslim Brotherhood's international organisation branch, led by Sheikh Sadiq Abdullah Abdul Majid and Professor Youssef Nour Al-Daim [ar], faced a crisis in 1991 when an extremist faction won elections.
[5] After the overthrow of Turabi, the Brotherhood participated in the Bashir regime's governments and later joined the December 2018 protest, but the group has limited influence.
[5][8] During the 2023 War in Sudan An Islamist resurgence has been observed, potentially complicating interactions with regional powers and the Sudanese army's path towards civilian rule.
[9] Furthermore, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have targeted hundreds of Islamist leaders and activists in a sweeping campaign, indicating an ongoing struggle between different factions within the country.
