Shadow Brigades: Protecting Brotherhood’s interests by destabilizing Sudan

Aya Ezz

Sudan has been suffering from a political and security crisis since 2019, when a massive popular revolution overthrew the Omar al-Bashir regime that had ruled the country for three decades. Since then, the country has witnessed armed confrontations between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that rejects the plan to integrate it into the military establishment and is colluding with the Brotherhood, which controlled the joints of the state during the Bashir era.

Shadow Brigades

Secret and paramilitary groups affiliated with the Brotherhood, known as the Shadow Brigades, are active, aiming to ignite chaos in the country, impede the democratic and transitional path, and preserve its influence and interests.

The Shadow Brigades is a name given to the arms of the Brotherhood in Sudan that carry out secret and paramilitary operations to protect the interests of the Brotherhood and ensure the continuation of its influence. These brigades were formed in 1976 under the orders of Hassan al-Turabi.

The Shadow Brigades have had a destabilizing role for security, stability and democracy in the country, being active in various parts of Sudan and posing a threat to the security of citizens, institutions and establishments, as well as obstructing the transitional path and national dialogue and destabilizing national unity.

The Shadow Brigades have been instilled in the Sudanese security services since the 1970s as part of the policy of empowerment pursued by the Brotherhood to protect its interests and ensure its continuity in power.

The Shadow Brigades include dozens of brigades and battalions, whose numbers exceed 100,000, which are divided into four main sections: the People’s Security Apparatus, the Popular Defense Forces, the Shield Forces, and the Student Security.

Protecting the Islamist current

According to Sudanese political expert Abdul Jalil Bashir, the mission of the Shadow Brigades is to protect the interests and influence of the Islamist movement in Sudan through penetration into the state’s civil and military institutions and rapid deployment on the battlefield in the event of political unrest or a stoppage of work, especially in sensitive sectors such as electricity, water and health.

Bashir assured the Reference that the Shadow Brigades participate in suppressing demonstrations, killing demonstrators, and fabricating economic and humanitarian crises to destabilize the country, explaining that these groups are subject to strict protocols in terms of training, equipment, planning, and implementation, and they also use methods of misinformation, disguise, and camouflage to conceal the identities and activities of their members. It also benefits from a network of informants and spies within the targeted institutions.