Sudan criticises US sanctions on citizens, entities

The Sudanese government on Sunday criticised sanctions imposed by the United States on Sudanese individuals and entities, describing the move as “unilateral and unhelpful in achieving the desired peace”.

In a statement, the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “Such unilateral measures “do not help achieve the desired goals, including the realisation of peace in Sudan and the preservation of international peace and security.”

The ministry added 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,”

The statement also noted that achieving peace in Sudan may be a shared goal for regional and international communities, but it is first and foremost a Sudanese matter based on the aspirations of the people in all their components. The Government of Sudan is responsible for realising these aspirations through all means, including engagement and joint work with all parties, within the framework of respecting national sovereignty.

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

The US Treasury said in its statement that the sanctions target “Sudanese Islamist actors, namely Ibrahim and the Al-Baraa Brigade, for their involvement in Sudan’s brutal civil war and their connections to Iran”.

It 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, an armed group from Darfur that signed a peace agreement with the Sudanese government in 2020 but is now fighting alongside the army.