Last week, the U.S Department of Treasuryimposed sanctions on a Sudanese financial institution – Alkhaleej Bank and two companies, Zadna International, a development company, and Al-Fakher Advanced Works, a metal ore company, accused of funding belligerents in the ongoing civil war in Sudan.
Thesanctions, which have been imposed to disrupt funding to the primary belligerents in the conflict, namely the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), were announced by the Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson. The action was taken as per Executive Order 14098.
The Treasury stated that the conflict in Sudan continues partly because of key individuals and entities that help fund the continuation of violence. Notably, Alkhaleej Bank and Al Fakher Advanced Works have been linked to the RSF, while Zadna International has connections to the SAF. The sanctions are intended to freeze the assets of these companies, which are either in the U.S or in the possession of U.S persons. These sanctions also forbid any transactions of any kind with these companies by U.S persons or individuals within the U.S.
The current conflict in Sudan, which is the country’s third civil war in the last 70 years, began in 2023. As per aUN report, 7.6 million people have been displaced, and an estimated 13,000 more have died due to clashes between the SAF and RSF. International attention was caught when the EUimposed sanctions in January and international aid groups had tosuspend operations following looting in December of the same year.
Sudan’s Army Chief, Abdel Fattan al-Burhan, has beenagainst reconciliation and taking a firm stand against the alleged ethnic cleansing in Darfur by the RSF.
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