HomeReportsBureau of CounterterrorismCountry Reports on Terrorism 2021…Sudan

# 					Country Reports on Terrorism 2021: Sudan			

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                -  Sudan 

## Sudan

**Overview:**The October 25 military takeover that ousted former Prime Minister Abdalla  Hamdok and the civilian-led transitional government (CLTG) halted Sudan’s democratic  transition and stalled efforts to adjust domestic CT authorities.

However, even in the period since the takeover, under the authority of Sovereign Council Chair  and Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) Commander General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Sudan has  continued to seek to strengthen CT cooperation with the United States, including through  consistent information sharing and efforts to build capacity to identify terrorists and deny them  safe haven within Sudan.

Despite the absence of any terrorist attacks in 2021, ISIS, al-Qa’ida, and Harakat Sawa’d Misr  (HASM) continued to use Sudan as a facilitation and logistics hub. Terrorist groups in recent  years have likely opted not to conduct attacks inside Sudan to preserve the country’s relatively

permissive environment, though this calculus could change as security forces place more  pressure on terrorists. Lone actors and low-level extremists, who lack direction from senior  leadership, remain a potential threat who could launch attacks in Sudan. The government  continues to view FTFs as the predominant threat.

**2021 Terrorist Incidents:**There were no terrorist incidents in Sudan in 2021. However, on  September 28, two General Intelligence Service (GIS) officers and three noncommissioned  personnel were killed during a raid on an ISIS cell in the Jabra district of Khartoum, where GIS  arrested 11 foreign terrorists of various nationalities. On October 4, one security forces officer  was killed during a follow-on raid in the Jabra district on the ISIS cell.

**Legislation, Law Enforcement, and Border Security:**Previous efforts by the CLTG to amend  the overarching CT legal framework in Sudan have been stalled because of the military  takeover. The military-led government granted security services — namely, GIS — additional  authorities to target terrorists in late 2021. Otherwise, there were no significant developments  regarding CT authorities in 2021.

Regarding law enforcement actions against terrorism, Sudanese security forces continue to  actively target and interdict terrorist cells in Sudan. Sudanese security services, primarily led by  the GIS, targeted ISIS cells in Khartoum and Omdurman for arrest operations during a series of  raids from late September to early October. Separately, on October 3, security forces arrested  eight foreign terrorists in Omdurman.

Sudan continues to focus on improving its border security measures to track and interdict  terrorist suspects traveling on forged passports, which is particularly important given Sudan’s  extensive and porous borders.

**Countering the Financing of Terrorism:**There were no significant changes in 2021.

**Countering Violent Extremism:**Before the October military takeover, the CLTG was focused  on broadening its relationships and engagement on CVE by seeking input from international  bodies, civil society, and local experts. The CLTG and security services held numerous joint  conferences, led by the Sudan National Commission for Counterterrorism (SNCCT), with local  and international stakeholders to discuss various CVE initiatives. These efforts have largely  stalled since the military takeover in October.

**International and Regional Cooperation:**Sudan continues to support CT efforts in regional  and multilateral organizations. Sudan remains a member of the following groups which have CT  equities: International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies  (FIIAPP); INTERPOL; and the Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization. The UN  Office of Counterterrorism (UNOCT) organized a large introductory workshop in October to  focus on interagency coordination in counterterrorism in cooperation with the SNCCT. UNOCT  maintains a small team in Khartoum to liaise with Sudanese authorities, UN entities (including  UNDP, UNESCO, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and  the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission Sudan), and regional organizations (AU and  IGAD) to share best practices for counterterrorism strategy, border security, Countering the  Financing of Terrorism, and community policing.

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Bureau of African AffairsBureau of CounterterrorismCountering TerrorismCountering Violent ExtremismCounterterrorismSudanTerrorism

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