Treasury sanctions Sudanese armed forces chief, arms supplier

WASHINGTON — Today, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan (Burhan), the head of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), under Executive Order (EO) 14098, “Imposing Sanctions on Certain Persons Destabilizing Sudan and Undermining the Objective of a Democratic Transition.” This action follows the designation of the head of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohammad Hamdan Daglo Mousa (Hemedti), on January 7, 2025. In addition, OFAC sanctions a company and an individual involved in the acquisition of weapons on behalf of the Defense Industries System (DIS), a procurement arm of the SAF that OFAC sanctioned in June 2023.

“Today’s action underscores our commitment to ending this conflict,” said Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo. “The United States will continue to use our tools to disrupt the flow of weapons to Sudan and hold these leaders accountable for their blatant disregard for civilian lives. »

The SAF in Burhan carried out deadly attacks against civilians, including airstrikes against protected infrastructure, including schools, markets and hospitals. The SAF is also responsible for the systematic and intentional denial of humanitarian access, using food deprivation as a tactic of war. In December 2023, Secretary of State Antony Blinken determined that members of the SAF had committed war crimes. The blatant war tactics of the SAF, alongside those of the RSF, are primarily responsible for one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, where famine has been declared in five regions of the country.

FAS Directorate

Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan (Burhan) is the commander of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF). In October 2021, Burhan and RSF commander Hemedti co-led a military takeover that took power from Sudan’s civilian-led transitional government. Since then, Burhan has opposed a return to civilian governance in Sudan and refused to participate in international peace talks aimed at ending the fighting, choosing war over good faith negotiations and de-escalation. Under Burhan’s leadership, the SAF’s war tactics include indiscriminate bombing of civilian infrastructure, attacks on schools, markets and hospitals, and extrajudicial killings.

Burhan is designated pursuant to EO 14098, as a foreign person who is or has been an officer, official, senior executive or member of the board of directors of the SAF, an entity which has, or whose members have, engaged in actions or policies that threaten the peace, security or stability of Sudan with respect to the tenure of office of such leader, official, senior manager or board member.

saf Weapons supplier

Ahmad Abdallah (Abdalla) is a Sudanese-Ukrainian national and an official of the Defense Industries System (DIS), the main procurement arm of the SAF. Since OFAC’s designation of DIS in June 2023, the company has sought to procure weapons and equipment through unofficial means. To evade sanctions, DIS conducts procurement activities through apparently private companies working on its behalf. Abdalla is the chief operating officer of Portex Trade Limited, a company that has conducted transactions with entities involved in the sale of military equipment. Abdalla notably coordinated the acquisition of Iranian-made drones from an Azerbaijani defense company to ship them to Sudan.

Abdalla is designated as a foreign person who is owned or controlled by, or who has acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the defense industries system, a person whose ownership and interests in the property are blocked under EO 14098.

Portex Trade Limited (Portex) is a Hong Kong-based company controlled by Abdalla. Portex is designated as a foreign person who is owned or controlled by, or who has acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Abdalla, a person whose property and real estate interests are blocked pursuant to EO 14098.

Humanitarian authorizations

To ensure that our sanctions do not impede the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Sudan, OFAC has issued broad general licenses (GL) authorizing certain categories of transactions otherwise prohibited under EO 14098. This includes activities involving Burhan, the head of the SAF. ; Hemedti, the leader of RSF; and other stranded persons pursuant to EO 14098. In particular, 31 CFR § 546.512 of the Sudan Stabilization Sanctions Regulations (SSSR) authorizes certain humanitarian transactions that support nongovernmental organizations, and 31 CFR § 546.513 of the SSSR authorizes certain transactions related to the supply of agriculture, medicines and medical devices.

IMPLICATIONS OF SANCTIONS

As a result of today’s action, all property and interests in property of the designated persons described above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. In addition, all entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, individually or in aggregate, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons, are also blocked. Unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC or exempted, U.S. sanctions generally prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons or within (or in transit) of the United States that involve property or interests in property of designated persons or otherwise blocked.

Violations of U.S. sanctions may result in the imposition of civil or criminal sanctions against U.S. and foreign persons. OFAC may impose civil penalties for sanctions violations on the basis of strict liability. OFAC’s Economic Sanctions Enforcement Guidelines provide more information on OFAC’s enforcement of U.S. economic sanctions. Additionally, financial institutions and others may be at risk of exposure to sanctions for participating in certain transactions or activities.

The power and integrity of OFAC sanctions derive not only from OFAC’s ability to designate and add individuals to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) list, but also from its willingness to remove people from the SDN list in accordance with the law. The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish, but to bring about positive change in behavior. For more information regarding the process of requesting removal from an OFAC list, including the SDN list, please refer to OFAC Frequently Asked Questions 897 here. For detailed information on the process of submitting a request to be removed from an OFAC sanctions list, please click here.

Click here for more information on the individuals and entities designated today.

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