US Treasury Sanctions Sudanese Senior Armed Forces Weapons Procurement Director
Port Sudan, Sudan (PANA) - The US Administration on Thursday sanctioned a senior Sudanese government army official, saying he was behind the purchase of arms to the Sudanese Armed Forces and thus helped in prolonging the ongoing war in the country.
A press release on Thursday said the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned Mirghani Idris Suleiman pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 14098, “for leading the Sudanese Armed Forces’ (SAF) efforts to acquire weapons for use in its ongoing war with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)”.
It accused Idris, holding the rank of Lieutenant General within the Sudanese regular army, has been “at the centre of weapons deals that have fueled the brutality and scale of the war, serving as Director General of Defense Industries System (DIS), the SAF’s primary weapons production and procurement arm.”
The American administration represented by OFAC designated DIS on June 1, 2023, for being responsible for, or complicit in, or having directly or indirectly engaged or attempted to engage in actions or policies that threaten the peace, security, or stability of Sudan.
The release charged that since the beginning of the war, the “SAF has prioritized weapons acquisition, including Iranian drones and a port-for-weapons deal with Russia, choosing to expand the conflict rather than end it through good-faith negotiations.
The weapons and diplomatic support provided by Iran and Russia have emboldened the SAF and lessened their interest in deescalating the conflict.”
It quoted Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley T. Smith as saying that Thursday’s action underscores the essential role that key individuals like Mirghani Idris Suleiman have played in procuring weapons, perpetuating violence, and prolonging the fighting in Sudan.
“The United States is committed to disrupting the ability of both sides in this conflict to procure weapons and external financing that undermine the possibility of a peaceful resolution,” the official was quoted as saying.
-0-PANA MO/RA 24Oct2024
