The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Alok Choudhari, an Indian executive leading SBL Energy Limited, alongside seven other individuals and entities linked to the supply of explosives and recruitment networks sustaining Sudan’s civil war. These measures aim to disrupt logistics supporting both Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, which have escalated violence since the conflict began.
SBL Energy Limited, also known as Amin Explosive Private Limited, reportedly facilitated over 200 shipments of explosives and related materials to Target Multiactivities Company Ltd (TMAC), a Sudanese company controlled by the country’s Defense Industries System responsible for maintaining the Sudanese Armed Forces’ arsenal. Similar sanctions targeted firms based in Sudan and Egypt operating within these networks.
These sanctions are designed to restrict access to U.S. financial systems, complicating trade, insurance, and banking operations for the individuals and organizations involved. Since Sudan’s conflict erupted in April 2023, the humanitarian crisis has worsened dramatically. Nearly 34 million people require humanitarian aid, with millions displaced internally or fleeing the country across borders.
The action marks another in a series of U.S. efforts against those financing and fueling Sudan’s war. Previous sanctions targeted conflict financiers and armed actors, including the Rapid Support Forces leader Mohammad Hamdan Daglo Mousa and recruitment rings bringing foreign mercenaries into the conflict. The Treasury has called for an immediate, unconditional three-month humanitarian truce to alleviate the suffering.