Burhan and his Sudanese Armed Forces have been at war with Gen. Mohammad Hamdan Daglo Mousa and his breakaway Rapid Support Forces since April of 2023, killing tens of thousands of people, displacing millions and creating the world's largest humanitarian catastrophe.
The Biden administration has responded to the war with sanctions, and attempted to lead cease-fire negotiations this summer, which Burhan, 64, refused to participate in.
The United States has also been warning since December of 2023 that both parties were committing war crimes.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement Thursday announcing the sanctions that since making that war crimes declaration more than year ago, SAF has continued to commit atrocities under Burhan -- atrocities that include targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, as well as executing civilians.
"The SAF's use of food deprivation as a tactic of war and its deliberate obstruction of the free flow of emergency humanitarian air to millions of Sudanese in desperate need have contributed to the world's largest humanitarian crisis, leaving over 25 million Sudanese facing acute food insecurity and over 600,000 experiencing famine," Blinken said.
He also mentioned Burhan's repeated refusals to participate in cease-fire negotiations that were planned for Switzerland in August, which the RSF agreed to, as justification for the punitive measures.
The Treasury on Thursday also sanctioned Sudanese-Ukrainian national Ahmad Abdalla, 46, an official of the SAF's primary procurement arm, Defense Industries System, as well as his Hong Kong-based Portex Trade company.
The United States blacklisted the Defense Industries System in June of 2023. Since then, Abdalla has tried to illegally secure weapons and equipment for the SAF through what the Treasury called "unofficials means."
The sanctions block all property and interests in property of those named while barring U.S. persons from doing business with them. The measures effectively cut those designate off from the U.S. financial system.
The Thursday announcement comes less that two weeks after Blinken hit Mohammad Hamdan with sanctions while declaring that his RSF was committing genocide.
Blinken said Thursday that the sanctions against both warring leaders underscores "the U.S. view that either man is fit to govern a future, peaceful Sudan."
The civil war broke out as Sudan teetered on the precipice of war and security since the military ousted the nation's former three-decade dictator, Omar al-Bashir, in a civilian-backed coup in 2019.
As the country crawled toward establishing a democratic government, Burhan and his then-deputy, Mohammad Hamdan, executed another coup, but infighting between them over control of Sudan erupted into full-blown conflict on April 15, 2023.
"The United States remains committed to holding accountable those responsible for atrocities committed in Sudan and to supporting a democratic, civilian transition," Blinken said.
Blinken voices regret at failure to end Sudan war
Washington (AFP) Jan 16, 2025 - Outgoing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday he regretted his failure to end the brutal war in Sudan, as the United States imposed sanctions on the head of the country's armed forces.
The Sudanese army has been at war with rival paramilitaries since April 2023 in a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people and uprooted more than 12 million, including millions who face a worsening hunger crisis.
"It is for me, yes, another real regret that when it comes to Sudan, we haven't been able on our watch to get to that day of success," Blinken said at a farewell news conference.
There have been "some improvements in getting humanitarian assistance in through our diplomacy, but not an end to the conflict, not an end to the abuses, not an end to the suffering of people," he said.
"We'll keep working at it for the next three days, and I hope the next administration will take that on as well," he said.
The US Treasury Department announced Thursday that it had slapped sanctions on Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), over the military's "lethal attacks" against civilians.
The US Treasury accused the SAF of committing attacks against schools, markets, and hospitals, denying humanitarian access, and using food deprivation as a war tactic.
"Today's action underscores our commitment to seeing an end to this conflict," US Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo said in a statement.
"The United States will continue to use our tools to disrupt the flow of weapons into Sudan and hold these leaders responsible for their blatant disregard of civilian lives," he added.
Since 2023, the SAF has been locked in a battle for control of Sudan against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Burhan's former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.
Earlier this month, the United States also imposed sanctions against Daglo and the RSF, accusing the group of committing genocide in Sudan's Darfur region.
Across the country, more than 24.6 million people -- around half the population -- face "high levels of acute food insecurity," according to a recent review by the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification.
US sanctions leader of Sudan's armed forces
Washington (AFP) Jan 16, 2025 -
The United States unveiled sanctions Thursday against the head of Sudan's armed forces over the military's "lethal attacks" against civilians, just days after it designated his rival and former deputy.
The US Treasury Department said in a statement that it had sanctioned Abdel Fattah al-Burhan over attacks by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) following the outbreak of war in 2023 between Burhan and his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The United States sanctioned Daglo and the RSF on January 7, accusing the group of committing "genocide" in Sudan's Darfur region.
On Thursday, the Treasury Department accused the SAF of committing attacks against schools, markets, and hospitals, denying humanitarian access, and "using food deprivation as a war tactic."
"Today's action underscores our commitment to seeing an end to this conflict," said US Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo.
"The United States will continue to use our tools to disrupt the flow of weapons into Sudan and hold these leaders responsible for their blatant disregard of civilian lives," he added.
The US Treasury also announced sanctions against Sudanese-Ukrainian national Ahmad Abdalla, and Hong Kong-based firm Portex Trade Limited for allegedly procuring weapons for the SAF on behalf of a sanctioned supplier.
Earlier Thursday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he regretted his inability to end the brutal war in Sudan and voiced hope that President-elect Donald Trump's administration would keep trying to do so.
"It is for me, yes, another real regret that when it comes to Sudan, we haven't been able on our watch to get to that day of success," he said at a farewell news conference.
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