Internal split deepens within Sudan-based Islamic Dawa Organization
June 7, 2026 (RENK) – A leadership rift within the Islamic Dawa Organization (Munazzamat al-Dawa al-Islamiyya) widened on Sunday as newly elected Secretary-General Yahya Adam Osman announced he would run operations from South Sudan, challenging Ahmed Mohamed Adam, who continues to manage the organization from Khartoum.
The institutional dispute has reached the courts following a legal challenge against a board decision that ousted the Qatari Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al Mahmoud, and renewed Adam’s tenure. A subsequent judicial order temporarily halted Al Mahmoud’s dismissal.
Following the court ruling, the Board of Trustees held an emergency session to dismiss Adam and elect Osman for a term ending in 2030. The board took the step after Adam’s previous term expired on Feb. 15, 2026, and he failed to respond to directives to arrange a leadership transition.
Osman said on Sunday that he had officially assumed his duties in the town of Renk in South Sudan due to severe administrative restrictions imposed on him in Sudan, which prevented him from exercising his executive authority.
He added that Adam’s faction continues to occupy the headquarters of the General Secretariat in Khartoum, maintaining that he remains the legitimate head of the organization in defiance of the board’s resolutions.
While Sudan remains the official headquarters, Osman noted that current domestic conditions allow for a temporary relocation of the secretariat to another country. He indicated that a permanent return to Khartoum is contingent on resolving the ongoing litigation over the headquarters.
Osman emphasized that his administration currently controls over 95% of the organization’s foreign missions and operational capabilities, leaving only the central Khartoum office outside his jurisdiction.
He added that he intends to manage operations from the South Sudanese capital, Juba, in the coming period, noting that alternative functional offices in Uganda and Niger could also host the general secretariat’s activities if required.
The internal power struggle within the prominent pan-Islamic charity reflects broader divisions among Islamists in Sudan. The faction aligned with Adam is reportedly backed by Ali Karti, the secretary-general of Sudan’s Islamic Movement, who opposed Al Mahmoud’s recent efforts to address financial and administrative corruption within the organization.