US Sanctions Indian Explosives Firm Over Sudan War Links, Company Denies Allegations
The United States Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on an Indian explosives manufacturer and its chief executive, accusing them of supplying materials used in the Sudanese civil war. The company, SBL Energy Limited based in Nagpur, Maharashtra, has rejected the allegations, stating that its exports were for legitimate civilian purposes under Indian government licences.
The sanctions, announced on Friday, target eight individuals and entities accused of fuelling the conflict in Sudan by providing weapons, explosives, and foreign fighters to both sides. Among those blacklisted is Alok Choudhari, CEO of SBL Energy, and the company itself. The US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) alleges that SBL supplied explosives and related material to Target Multiactivities Company Ltd. (TMAC), a Sudan-based firm that Washington claims is controlled by Sudan's Defence Industries System (DIS) through the Giad Industrial Group.
According to OFAC, TMAC's managing director, Tariq Hussain Muhammad Madani, a senior DIS officer, oversaw imports of explosives from Egyptian companies and SBL Energy. The US alleges that these explosives were subsequently used in bombs deployed by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). Washington claims that SBL supplied more than 200 shipments of such material since 2024.
When contacted by NDTV, SBL Energy denied the accusations. The company asserted that it had exported only industrial explosives for mining and infrastructure projects, with proper licences from the Government of India. It stated that it operates as an ethical supplier and had no knowledge of any diversion of its products to military use.
The US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement: 'These networks supply weapons, explosives, and foreign fighters to both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. Their support has prolonged a conflict that has created the world's worst humanitarian crisis and provided space for terrorist groups to operate.'
The sanctions also targeted other entities, including Egyptian suppliers, the Ports Engineering Company Ltd. of Sudan, and individuals linked to a Panama-based company accused of recruiting former Colombian military personnel to fight for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The RSF is a paramilitary group battling the SAF in a civil war that has killed thousands and displaced millions since April 2023.
The Indian government has not yet commented on the sanctions. The case highlights the complexities of supply chains in conflict zones and the challenges companies face in ensuring their products are not misused.
