The United States has imposed sanctions on eight individuals and entities, including an Indian national and a Raipur-based explosives manufacturer, over their alleged role in supporting Sudan's ongoing civil war. The sanctions, announced by the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), target networks accused of supplying military-related materials to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which Washington says have contributed to prolonging one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
Among those sanctioned is Alok Choudhari, the chief executive officer of Raipur-based SBL Energy Limited, also known as Amin Explosive Private Limited. According to OFAC, SBL Energy supplied more than 200 shipments of explosives and related materials to Sudan-based Target Multiactivities Company (TMAC), an entity allegedly responsible for maintaining the Sudanese Armed Forces' arsenal. The US Treasury Department claimed the explosives were later used in bombs deployed by the SAF during the conflict.
The sanctions also extend to SBL Energy Limited, TMAC, its general manager and senior Defense Industries System (DIS) official Tariq Hussain Muhammad Madani, along with several other companies based in Sudan and Egypt. In a statement, US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the sanctioned networks had supplied weapons, explosives and foreign fighters to both the SAF and the RSF, enabling the conflict to continue and creating conditions that have allowed extremist groups to operate.
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According to the Treasury Department, the Defense Industries System is Sudan's largest defence enterprise and plays a central role in maintaining the Sudanese military's arsenal of weapons, ammunition, vehicles and other military equipment. The department alleged that DIS has acquired significant military supplies from Iran and other external supporters. It also controls multiple subsidiaries, including the Giad Industrial Group, also known as Sudan Master Technology, through a network of corporate entities that have generated billions of dollars in revenue.
US officials said the continued procurement of military equipment by DIS has enabled the Sudanese Armed Forces to sustain combat operations against the Rapid Support Forces, launch attacks on civilians and undermine efforts to secure a ceasefire. Both the Defense Industries System and the Giad Industrial Group had already been sanctioned by the United States in 2023 as part of earlier measures targeting the conflict.
Sudan has been engulfed in a civil war since April 2023, with fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces causing widespread destruction, mass displacement and a severe humanitarian crisis. The latest US sanctions are part of Washington's broader effort to disrupt supply networks that allegedly sustain the conflict and to increase pressure on individuals and organisations accused of facilitating military operations by either side.
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