Sudan pro-democracy group calls for NCP to be branded terrorist organization
August 5, 2025 (KHARTOUM) – A Sudanese pro-democracy coalition is calling for the National Congress Party (NCP) and the associated Sudanese Islamic Movement to be designated as a terrorist organization both domestically and internationally, according to a statement written in English released by the group.
The Civil Democratic Alliance for Revolutionary Forces (Somoud) also stated that it was pushing for a constitutional ban on the NCP and the criminalisation of any affiliation with it.
In a five-page statement extended to Sudan Tribune, Somoud accused the movement of being the “greatest obstacle to peace, security, stability, democracy, and prosperity” and stated that it categorically rejects the NCP’s participation in any future political process.
The group accused the Islamic Movement of making Khartoum a “major hub for extremist and terrorist movements”, saying it hosted figures like Osama bin Laden and Carlos the Jackal. The statement also pointed to U.S. court rulings that found the former regime provided logistical support for the 1998 embassy bombings in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam and the 2000 attack on the USS Cole.
Somoud cited International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants for former president Omar al-Bashir and other high-ranking NCP officials on charges of genocide and war crimes. It claimed that since war began on April 15, 2023, brigades linked to the Islamic Movement have been documented carrying out extrajudicial killings and atrocities “identical to those of ISIS”.
The coalition described the NCP as a “putschist organization” for overthrowing a democratic government in 1989 and staging another coup on Oct. 25, 2021. The statement said that during its three decades in power, the regime banned political parties, dissolved unions, tortured opponents, and suppressed freedoms of expression and assembly. Somoud added that the regime’s “public order” system oppressed tens of thousands of women annually and that it demolished churches and confiscated property from Christians.
The statement alleged the Islamic Movement turned the state into a “vehicle for plunder”, looting wealth from more than $80 billion in oil revenues and $30 billion from gold while neglecting public infrastructure.
Somoud holds the Islamic Movement responsible for igniting the April 2023 war and accused it of sabotaging multiple peace initiatives, including the Jeddah platform. Any attempt to restore the movement to power would betray the “glorious December Revolution” that toppled the regime in 2019, the group said.
While demanding the NCP’s exclusion, Somoud said it was ready to engage in dialogue with other Islamist groups that reject the war, accept pluralistic democracy, and disavow terrorism.