The Third Generation of Sudanese Islamism and the Capture of the Sudanese Armed Forces

This policy brief evaluates the systemic failure of international mediation in Sudan, identifying the ideological capture of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) as the primary impediment to peace. It traces the contemporary resurgence of political Islam through the ascent of the third generation of Sudanese Islamists and the structural embedding of the al-Baraa bin Malik Brigade within military intelligence apparatuses. Crucially, the brief contextualizes these internal dynamics against the March 2026 US terrorist designation, underscoring the urgent necessity for revised diplomatic strategies that confront the military’s ideological transformation as the core barrier to a negotiated democratic transition.