The Muslim Brotherhood militias lay down arms… Diversion maneuvers or bowing to the storm?

 

Recently, observers and Sudanese circles have cast doubt on the latest development of Al-Baraa Ibn Malik and other Brotherhood militias’ choice to lay down their weapons under the pretext of “moving towards civilian action,” especially given its belated nature, nearly three years after the outbreak of the civil conflict in the country.

Meanwhile, new military movements by Al-Baraa militia in Khartoum and other states revealed the “insincerity” of the aforementioned move. Observers have instead considered it a “maneuver” as well as a form of “blatant deception.”

Sudanese media outlets published a statement attributed to the leader of the Brotherhood militia, Almusbah Abuzaid Talha, in which he asserted that his forces would “immediately cease all military operations and redirect their energies toward serving citizens and contributing to reconstruction efforts,” according to his claim.

Furthermore, the statement claimed that the disarmament step was executed in full coordination with the Sudanese Army, led by Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, claiming that it was part of a “comprehensive national plan to reorganize field work priorities in order to serve the supreme interests of the State.”

Nevertheless, Sudanese circles believe that the allegations of “civilian field work” completely contradict the “extensive record of violations” that occurred during the years of conflict, documented in UN human rights reports, most notably of which is the Human Rights Watch (HRW) report.

Whilst Dr. Abu al-Asal al-Sayyid, a writer specializing in Sudanese affairs, asserts that the timing of the disarmament announcement is rather “suspicious,” he hints that it may be a prelude to a “civilian” role in the next phase, with the goal of controlling any political opposition attempts.

In a statement to (Erem News), Dr. Abu al-Asal al-Sayyid doubted the sincerity of the disarmament step, asserting that its merely “a diversion maneuver and an effort in deception,” nothing “in short; bowing to the storm.”

Iranian Timing

The Brotherhood’s Al-Baraa militia first appeared in (1976). According to Dr. Abu al-Asal al-Sayed, it was a key component of the Shadow Brigades established by the Muslim Brotherhood in Sudan. It was able to infiltrate the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), then the Police Force, and eventually the rest of the Security Services.

With the outbreak of conflict in Sudan in (April 2023), the militia returned to the forefront with force. According to Dr. Abu al-Asal, during the war years, its formations were promoted to “Brigades,” then to “Corps,” in a similar manner to the “Quds Corps” of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

In his statements, Dr. Abu al-Asal links the timing of the Brotherhood militias’ announcement of their “laying down their weapons” to the crippling crisis facing the Iranian regime, especially after the 12-day war last June.

“The Sudanese Brotherhood Movement is closely linked to the Iranian regime, which has suffered severe blows from Israel and the United States alike. This appears to have been reflected in the position of the militias in Sudan, which have -consequently- suffered fatal blows,” according to Dr. Abu al-Asal. 

He believed that the Brotherhood militias are “no different from the founding group,” referring to “the historical step the Brotherhood resorts to when pressure intensifies: bowing to the storm.”

Incidents that Invoke Doubts 

In parallel with the Brotherhood militias’ announcement of their intention to lay down their arms, Sudanese media outlets monitored military movements by Al-Baraa militia -in particular- in Khartoum and Omdurman, along with the advancement towards points belonging to the Minni Minnawi Movement, with air cover from the de facto authority’s aircraft in Port Sudan.

Regarding such movements, Dr. Abu al-Asal commented by saying that they prove “Al-Burhan’s forces are unable to dispense with the Brotherhood militias,” especially after they “suffered heavy losses in the war, with thousands of officers and soldiers fleeing the country.” He continued: “There is no longer such a thing as the Sudanese Army, but rather extremist Brotherhood militias.”

Media Tactic

For his part, writer and journalist Ammar Saeed says that Al-Baraa’s announcement to lay down arms is a “media” tactic, adding that “a careful contemplation of the security and political situation in the capital, Khartoum, reveals that this announcement is nothing more than a blatant attempt to mislead the international community.”

On the other hand, Ammar Saeed told (Erem News) that the Brotherhood militias, with their most recent move, aim to “deceive the Joint Force,” having “become a security burden on those with whom they claimed to be allied.”

Nevertheless, a wave of popular anger and human rights condemnation has been sparked recently following the spread of dozens of video clips documenting murders and field executions of civilians committed by members of this group without any legal justification and without any trial, Ammar Saeed added.

He continued, “These crimes, which amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, reveal the true nature of this militia,” which he also described as “an extremist ideological formation, recruited and trained under the direct sponsorship of the former regime’s apparatus, and with intelligence and logistical support from the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).”