Sudan Condemns European Sanctions Against ‘Army-Affiliated Companies’

Sudanese army commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan during an inspection of his forces at the beginning of this month. (Transitional Sovereignty Council media)
Sudanese army commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan during an inspection of his forces at the beginning of this month. (Transitional Sovereignty Council media)
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Sudan Condemns European Sanctions Against ‘Army-Affiliated Companies’

Sudanese army commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan during an inspection of his forces at the beginning of this month. (Transitional Sovereignty Council media)
Sudanese army commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan during an inspection of his forces at the beginning of this month. (Transitional Sovereignty Council media)

Sudan's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday denounced “as unjust” the European Council (EC) decision to impose sanctions on three companies affiliated with the Sudanese Army Forces (SAF).
On Monday, the EC had imposed sanctions on six companies for their involvement in financing and arming the warring Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The EC said the six entities were responsible for “supporting activities undermining the stability and political transition of Sudan.”
Among the companies sanctioned were three controlled by the SAF and three others involved in procuring military equipment for the RSF.
In a statement, the Sudanese Foreign Ministry said the European move lacked objectivity as it balances between the national army that defends the Sudanese people, their independence and dignity, and a terrorist militia (RSF), which has tens of thousands of mercenaries committing genocide, ethnic cleansing and sexual violence against the Sudanese people.
It added that the report of the United Nations experts monitoring the implementation of Security Council Resolution No. 1591 “provided sufficient information about those who threaten the stability of Sudan and the entire region, and those who commit war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide or help to commit them, including partners and allies of the European Union.”
It called on the EU to shoulder its political and moral responsibilities towards international and regional peace by pressuring those parties to stop supplying weapons, mercenaries, funding and media coverage to the terrorist militia.
“The sanctions, especially targeting (Sudan's) national institutions, will not help achieve peace,” the Ministry said.
Meanwhile, General Mohamed Hamdan“Hemedti” Daglo, commander of Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said on Tuesday he had a telephone conversation with UN Humanitarian Chief Martin Griffiths to discuss the humanitarian situation in Sudan and ways to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the civilian population.
On X, Daglo said he also tackled with Griffiths the process of facilitating entry for humanitarian aid convoys through Gezeira State to the states of Kordofan, Darfur, White Nile, and Khartoum, and other areas in Sudan.
“I also emphasized to Griffiths the importance of humanitarian organizations maintaining a sustainable presence in Kordofan and Darfur, as there is an urgent need for humanitarian operations in these areas,” the RSF commander said.
He then affirmed the firm commitment of his forces to international humanitarian law, protecting civilians, and fostering collaboration with all humanitarian organizations to facilitate and support their work in these localities.
At the field level, eyewitnesses reported that the RSF escalated their attacks on towns in Al Jazira State, leaving several casualties.
Residents in Wad Madani told Asharq Al-Awsat they saw RSF military crowds roaming the city center despite the calm.

 

 



US Eases Restrictions on Syria While Keeping Sanctions in Place

 A worker stands at a bakery after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 6, 2025. (Reuters)
A worker stands at a bakery after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 6, 2025. (Reuters)
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US Eases Restrictions on Syria While Keeping Sanctions in Place

 A worker stands at a bakery after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 6, 2025. (Reuters)
A worker stands at a bakery after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 6, 2025. (Reuters)

The US on Monday eased some restrictions on Syria's transitional government to allow the entry of humanitarian aid after opposition factions ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad last month.

The US Treasury issued a general license, lasting six months, that authorizes certain transactions with the Syrian government, including some energy sales and incidental transactions.

The move does not lift sanctions on the nation that has been battered by more than a decade of war, but indicates a limited show of US support for the new transitional government.

The general license underscores America's commitment to ensuring its sanctions “do not impede activities to meet basic human needs, including the provision of public services or humanitarian assistance,” a Treasury Department statement reads.

Since Assad's ouster, representatives from the nation's new de facto authorities have said that the new Syria will be inclusive and open to the world.

The US has gradually lifted some penalties since Assad departed Syria for protection in Russia. The Biden administration in December decided to drop a $10 million bounty it had offered for the capture of Ahmed al-Sharaa, the leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group whose forces led the ouster of Assad last month.

The announcement followed a meeting in Damascus between al-Sharaa, who was once aligned with al-Qaeda, and the top US diplomat for the Middle East, Barbara Leaf, who led the first US diplomatic delegation into Syria since Assad’s ouster. The US and UN have long designated HTS as a terrorist organization.

HTS led a lightning insurgency that ousted Assad on Dec. 8 and ended his family’s decades-long rule. From 2011 until Assad’s downfall, Syria’s uprising and civil war killed an estimated 500,000 people.

Much of the world ended diplomatic relations with Assad because of his crackdown on protesters, and sanctioned him and his Russian and Iranian associates.

Syria’s infrastructure has been battered, with power cuts rampant in the country and some 90% of its population living in poverty. About half the population won’t know where its next meal will come from, as inflation surges.

The pressure to lift sanctions has mounted in recent years as aid agencies continue to cut programs due to donor fatigue and a massive 2023 earthquake that rocked Syria and Türkiye. The tremor killed over 59,000 people and destroyed critical infrastructure that couldn’t be fixed due to sanctions and overcompliance, despite the US announcing some humanitarian exemptions.