US sanctions Indian exec, Raipur firm over alleged role in Sudan conflict

The United States has imposed sanctions on eight individuals and entities, including an Indian national and a Raipur-based explosives manufacturer, for allegedly helping fuel the civil war in Sudan by supplying material and support to the warring sides.

The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced the sanctions on Friday, saying the targeted networks had enabled both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to expand and intensify the conflict.

Among those sanctioned is Alok Choudhari of Raipur, chief executive officer of SBL Energy Limited, also known as Amin Explosive Private Limited. According to the US Treasury Department, the company supplied more than 200 shipments of explosives and explosive-related materials to a Sudanese company that maintained the SAF's military arsenal.

SBL Energy Limited was also sanctioned, along with several firms based in Sudan and Egypt.

"These networks supply weapons, explosives, and foreign fighters to both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Their support has prolonged a conflict that has created the world's worst humanitarian crisis and provided space for terrorist groups to operate," US Department of State spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement.

According to the Treasury Department, SBL Energy supplied explosives and related materials to Sudan-based Target Multiactivities Company (TMAC), which allegedly passed them on for use by the SAF. The explosives were subsequently used in bombs deployed by the Sudanese military, it alleged.

TMAC and its general manager, senior Defense Industries System (DIS) officer Tariq Hussain Muhammad Madani, were also sanctioned.

The Treasury Department said the DIS, Sudan's largest defence enterprise, supports and maintains the SAF's arsenal of arms, ammunition, vehicles and military equipment, much of it acquired from Iran and other foreign backers.

It said the DIS controls several subsidiaries, including the Giad Industrial Group, also known as Sudan Master Technology, through a network of opaque corporate structures that have generated billions of dollars.

According to Washington, the DIS's procurement of military equipment and related material has enabled the SAF to sustain combat operations against the RSF, carry out attacks on civilians, and obstruct efforts to secure a ceasefire. The DIS and Giad were sanctioned by the US in 2023.

OFAC also designated Ports Engineering Company Ltd, a state-owned civil engineering firm based in Port Sudan that was established in 1998.

The Treasury Department alleged that the company, linked to Sudan Master Technology, had imported military uniforms and footwear for Sudanese intelligence from a company in the United Arab Emirates, as well as ammunition belts and weapons cases from a Turkish firm after the conflict began in April 2023.

The sanctions also targeted individuals linked to a transnational network accused of recruiting former Colombian military personnel to fight alongside the RSF.

The network is led by retired Colombian military officer Alvaro Andres Quijano Becerra and his wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, both of whom had previously been sanctioned by Washington.

US authorities also blacklisted three individuals associated with Panama-based Talent Bridge SA, which they alleged was used to conceal the recruitment operation. Those sanctioned include Panamanian nationals Enrique Daniel Palacios Quintanilla and Jack Peter Derman Guzman, along with Colombian national Fredy Alejandro Lopez Ocampo, all of whom held executive or managerial positions at the company.

With PTI inputs