The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Friday imposed sanctions on Sudan’s finance minister and Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) leader Gibril Ibrahim, as well as on the al-Baraa bin Malik Battalion, accusing both of fueling the war and maintaining ties to Iran, according to a statement seen by Darfur24.
Treasury said the measures are intended to curb Islamist influence inside Sudan and constrain Iran’s regional activities, which it said have aggravated instability and civilian suffering. Washington reiterated its commitment to work with regional partners to restore peace and stability in Sudan.
The statement described Sudan’s Islamist networks as a long-running “destructive force,” notably under former dictator Omar al-Bashir, who ruled for three decades until 2019. More recently, it said, Islamists played a central role in derailing Sudan’s democratic transition by undermining the former civilian-led government and the political framework process—actions it said helped ignite a conflict that has killed 150,000 people and displaced 14 million, producing the world’s worst ongoing humanitarian crisis.
OFAC said Sudanese Islamists continue to block efforts to secure a ceasefire and have deepened ties with Iran, receiving technical assistance from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
According to Treasury, Ibrahim’s JEM sent thousands of fighters to battle the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), contributing to the destruction of cities and the killing and displacement of civilians. The statement said Ibrahim coordinated with Tehran to advance political and economic relations and traveled to Iran in November.
OFAC traced the al-Baraa bin Malik Battalion’s origins to the Bashir-era Popular Defense Forces and said it has deployed more than 20,000 fighters against the RSF, using IRGC-provided training and weapons. Fighters from the unit have been implicated in arbitrary detentions, torture and summary executions of people suspected of supporting the RSF, it added, calling the battalion and other Islamist militias a major obstacle to ending the civil war.
“Sudanese Islamist groups have forged dangerous alliances with Iran’s regime. We will not stand by and allow them to threaten regional and global security,” said John K. Hurley, Treasury’s under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence. “Treasury is using our powerful sanctions tools to disrupt this activity and protect U.S. national security.”
