Nominee for US Ambassador to Sudan Considers Applying Individual Sanctions

Protesters march during a rally against military rule following the military coup in Khartoum, Sudan. January 24, 2022. Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/File Photo
Protesters march during a rally against military rule following the military coup in Khartoum, Sudan. January 24, 2022. Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/File Photo
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Nominee for US Ambassador to Sudan Considers Applying Individual Sanctions

Protesters march during a rally against military rule following the military coup in Khartoum, Sudan. January 24, 2022. Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/File Photo
Protesters march during a rally against military rule following the military coup in Khartoum, Sudan. January 24, 2022. Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/File Photo

Nominee for US Ambassador to Sudan John Godfrey said that resuming paused development assistance to the African country is predicated on a credible civilian-led democratic transition.

His remarks were made on Tuesday during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing session to ratify his appointment.

Godfrey said the United States “remains poised to use all tools at its disposal to support the Sudanese people in their pursuit of a democratic, human rights-respecting, and prosperous Sudan.”

In response to a question by Democratic Senator Chris Coons, who introduced a draft resolution imposing sanctions on any military officials found responsible for obstructing Sudan’s democratic transition, Godfrey did not rule out the possibility of imposing such sanctions.

“Sanctions are an important tool to drive changes and behavior,” Godfrey stressed.

“Prior to making any recommendation on potential sanctions, I would want to understand their likely impact on the military leaders’ behavior, the practical impact on their access to financing, the impact on the economy and how it would relate to our overall diplomatic strategy, including the current UNITAMS-AU-IGAD facilitated process,” he explained.

Godfrey referred to the Departments of State, Treasury, Commerce, and Labor’s recently released business advisory on Sudan, as well as the concurrent resolution 20 calling for targeted sanctions on the military coup, which the Congress adopted earlier this month.

He said they show the unified view across branches of US government that it needs to be applying pressure and sustaining the pressure on the military government to facilitate things that lead to the restoration of the civilian-led transitional government.

If he is confirmed, Godfrey said he will certainly work with partners to sustain that pressure.

“I think what we’ve done in coordinating the pauses and debt relief credit and some development assistance are really important in that regard and need to be sustained.”

He also considered sanctioning of the Central Reserve Police and looking at potential other actions is something that the US needs to stay focused on top move forward.



Iraq Holds Kurdish Government Legally Responsible for Continued Oil Smuggling

Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo
Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo
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Iraq Holds Kurdish Government Legally Responsible for Continued Oil Smuggling

Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo
Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo

Iraq's oil ministry said on Thursday it holds the Kurdish regional government (KRG) legally responsible for the continued smuggling of oil from the Kurdish region outside the country.

The ministry reserves the right to take all legal measures in the matter, it added.

Control over oil and gas has long been a source of tension between Baghdad and Erbil, Reuters reported.

Iraq is under pressure from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to cut output to compensate for having produced more than its agreed volume. OPEC counts oil flows from Kurdistan as part of Iraq's quota.

In a ruling issued in 2022, Iraq's federal court deemed an oil and gas law regulating the oil industry in Iraqi Kurdistan unconstitutional and demanded that Kurdish authorities hand over their crude oil supplies.

The ministry said the KRG’s failure to comply with the law has hurt both oil exports and public revenue, forcing Baghdad to cut output from other fields to meet OPEC quotas.

The ministry added that it had urged the KRG to hand over crude produced from its fields, warning that failure to do so could result in significant financial losses and harm the country’s international reputation and oil commitments.

Negotiations to resume Kurdish oil exports via the Iraq-Türkiye oil pipeline, which once handled about 0.5% of global oil supply, have stalled over payment terms and contract details.