US imposes sanctions on former Sudanese minister and 2 companies backing the paramilitary force

CAIRO -- The United States imposed sanctions Thursday on a former Sudanese government minister and two companies tied to the African country's paramilitary force that is locked in monthslong fighting with the Sudanese army.

The sanctions imposed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury will block all property in the U.S. and entities owned by Sudan's former Foreign Minister Ali Karti, Sudan-based information company GSK Advance Company Ltd, and the Russian-based military company Aviatrade LLC.

The Treasury said both companies are supporting the Rapid Support Force paraMilitary in its fight against the Military.

Ali Karti was foreign minister under the country's former Islamist autocrat Omar al-Bashir who was ousted in a popular uprising in 2019.

“He and other hard-line Sudanese Islamists are actively obstructing efforts to reach a cease-fire to end the current war ... and opposing Sudanese civilians’ efforts to restore Sudan’s democratic transition,” the Treasury said.

The Rapid Support Force has accused the Sudanese army of harboring hard-line Islamists, something the military has denied.

Sudan plunged into chaos almost six months ago when long-simmering tensions between the military, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary, commanded by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, escalated into open warfare.

Thursday's sanctions are the latest the U.S has imposed on Sudan's leaders and companies. Earlier this month it blocked all U.S. property and entities owned by commander Abdelrahim Hamdan Dagalo, the brother of the paraMilitary force's leader.

In June, it also imposed sanctions against four key companies that are either linked to or owned by the army and the paramilitary. It also placed visa restrictions on officials from both warring factions in Sudan, and also on former officials in al-Bashir's government, but did not specify who was affected.