Sudan criticizes U.S. sanctions on citizens, entities

Alsharq Tribune-AFP 

The Sudanese government on Sunday criticized the sanctions imposed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury on Sudanese individuals and entities.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said such unilateral measures "do not help achieve the desired goals, including the realization of peace in Sudan and the preservation of international peace and security."

"The Government of Sudan affirms that the best approach to resolving crises is fundamentally based on direct engagement, rather than relying on assumptions propagated by parties with political agendas that do not serve the higher interests of the Sudanese people," it noted.

The statement stressed that achieving peace in Sudan is primarily a Sudanese matter based on the aspirations of the people in all their components.

It also affirmed that the government of Sudan is responsible for fulfilling the aspirations for peace through all means, including engagement and joint action with all parties, within the framework of respecting national sovereignty.

On Friday, the United States announced sanctions on Sudanese Finance Minister Gibril Ibrahim and the Al-Baraa Bin Malik Brigade, an armed group fighting alongside the Sudanese army.

In a statement, the U.S. Treasury Department said the sanctions target "Sudanese Islamist actors," namely Ibrahim and the brigade, "for their involvement in Sudan's brutal civil war and their connections to Iran."

The statement added that the sanctions "aim to limit Islamist influence within Sudan and curtail Iran's regional activities," which it said have contributed to regional destabilization, conflict, and civilian suffering.

Ibrahim is the leader of the Justice and Equality Movement, a Darfuri armed group that signed a peace agreement with the Sudanese government in 2020 and is now fighting alongside the army.

The United States had previously imposed sanctions on Sudan on June 27, citing accusations that the Sudanese government used chemical weapons in the conflict.

Sudan remains gripped by a conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, which erupted in April 2023. The fighting has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions, both internally and across borders, deepening the country's humanitarian crisis.