The US on Thursday imposed sanctions on Sudan army chief and leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, accusing him of destabilizing Sudan and undermining democracy.
Department of the Treasury in a press release said since the October 2021 coup, Burhan alongside RSF commander Hemedti co-led a military takeover that seized power from Sudan’s civilian-led transitional government.
“Since then, Burhan has opposed a return to civilian governance in Sudan and has refused to participate in international peace talks to end the fighting, choosing war over good-faith negotiation and de-escalation.
“Under Burhan’s leadership, the SAF’s[Sudan Armed Forces] war tactics have included indiscriminate bombing of civilian infrastructure, attacks on schools, markets, and hospitals, and extrajudicial executions,” it said.
It added that Burhan’s SAF has committed “lethal attacks” on civilians.
“The SAF is also responsible for the routine and intentional denial of humanitarian access, using food deprivation as a war tactic. In December 2023, Secretary of State Antony Blinken determined that members of the SAF had committed war crimes,” the release said.
It noted that SAF’s “egregious war tactics”, alongside those of the Rapid Support Forces, are primarily responsible for one of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, where famine has been declared in five regions of the country.
The move follows a similar one on RSF commander Mohammad Hamdan Daglo alias Hemedti on January 7, 2025. Washington said it had determined that RSF forces had committed genocide, as well as for attacks on civilians
In addition, the department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Hong Kong-based Portex Trade Limited and Sudanese-Ukrainian national Ahmad Abdalla (Abdalla), accusing the two of being involved in weapons procurement on behalf of the Defense Industries System.
DIS is a procurement arm of SAF that OFAC sanctioned in June 2023.
Speaking earlier on Thursday, Burhan was defiant about the imminent sanctions.
“I hear there’s going to be sanctions on the army leadership. We welcome any sanctions for serving this country,” he said in comments broadcast on Al Jazeera.
More than 11 million people have been internally displaced since the fighting erupted in April 2023, according to the United Nations, while millions more have fled Sudan.
