Home East Africa US Imposes Sanctions on Sudan’s Army Chief General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan

East Africa

US Imposes Sanctions on Sudan’s Army Chief General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan

January 18, 2025

(3 Minutes Read)

This action comes days after the US issued similar sanctions on the leader of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) , Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), Gen. Burhan’s nemesis in the long-running conflict/ Washington also sanctioned a Sudanese-Ukrainian national, Ahmad Abdallah, and a Hong Kong-based company called Portex which he controls.

The United States of America has sanctioned General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, the leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), for committing lethal attacks on civilians in the country. www.trendsnafrica.com reported yesterday the possibility of imposing sanctions quoting sources.

This action comes days after the US issued similar sanctions on the leader of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), Gen. Burhan’s nemesis in the long-running conflict/ Washington also sanctioned a Sudanese-Ukrainian national, Ahmad Abdallah, and a Hong Kong-based company called Portex which he controls.

It accused Abdallah, who serves as COO of Portex, of coordinating the acquisition of Iranian-made UAVs from an Azerbaijani defence company for shipment to Sudan.

The US says Burhan’s SAF has committed lethal attacks on civilians, including airstrikes against protected infrastructure including schools, markets, and hospitals. It also says the SAF is responsible for the routine and intentional denial of humanitarian access, using food deprivation as a war tactic.

In response, Sudan’s Foreign Ministry said the decision was based on “baseless justifications” and said its timing was “questionable” and “reflects confusion and a weak sense of confidence.”

The latest conflict in Sudan began in April 2023 after the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) fell out with the RSF in a power struggle amid a planned transition to civilian rule. Since then, more than 12,000 people have been killed and millions displaced, with no end in sight.

As is common with Horn of Africa geopolitics, the conflict has attracted external players with ulterior motives to support whichever side eventually wins. Among them is a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which has seen them support different sides of the conflict.