US sanctions Sudan’s army chief and accuses him of choosing war over peace
US sanctions Sudan’s army chief and accuses him of choosing war over peace
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Measures come a week after Washington also sanctioned Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s rival, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. The United States has imposed sanctions on Sudan’s army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, accusing him of choosing war over negotiations to bring an end to the conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people and driven millions from their homes.
The US treasury department said in a statement that under Burhan’s leadership, the army’s war tactics have included indiscriminate bombing of civilian infrastructure, attacks on schools, markets and hospitals, and extrajudicial executions. Washington announced the measures a week after imposing sanctions on Burhan’s rival in the two-year-old civil war, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
Sources said that one aim of Thursday’s sanctions was to show that Washington was not picking sides. Speaking earlier on Thursday, Burhan was defiant about the prospect that he might be targeted. “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 television.
Washington also issued sanctions over the supply of weapons to the army, targeting a Sudanese-Ukrainian national as well as a Hong Kong-based company. Thursday’s action freezes any of their US assets and generally bars Americans from dealing with them. The treasury department said it issued authorizations allowing certain transactions, including activities involving the warring generals, so as not to impede humanitarian assistance.
