US Sanctions Indian Firm and CEO for Allegedly Fueling Sudan's Civil War
The United States has imposed sanctions on eight individuals and entities, including an Indian national and his explosives manufacturing company, for allegedly contributing to the civil war in Sudan. The sanctions were announced by the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Friday, June 26, 2026.
Among those sanctioned is Alok Choudhari, a resident of Raipur, India, who serves as the Chief Executive Officer of SBL Energy Limited, also known as Amin Explosive Private Limited. The U.S. alleges that SBL Energy supplied over 200 shipments of explosives and related materials to a company that maintained the arsenal of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
The Treasury Department also imposed sanctions on SBL Energy Limited and other firms based in Sudan and Egypt. The sanctions target networks that the U.S. claims have provided weapons, explosives, and foreign fighters to both the SAF and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the two warring factions in Sudan's brutal civil war.
"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," said Tommy Pigott, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State.
According to the U.S. Treasury, Raipur-based SBL Energy supplied explosives and related material to Sudan-based Target Multiactivities Company (TMAC). These explosives were subsequently used in bombs deployed by the SAF. TMAC and its general manager, senior DIS officer Tariq Hussain Muhammad Madani, have also been blacklisted.
The Defense Industries System (DIS), Sudan's largest defence enterprise, supports and maintains the SAF's arsenal, often acquiring arms from Iran and other external backers. DIS controls numerous subsidiaries, including the Giad Industrial Group (Giad), also known as Sudan Master Technology. The U.S. alleges that DIS's acquisition of military equipment has enabled the SAF to sustain combat operations against the RSF, conduct attacks against civilians, and obstruct ceasefire efforts. DIS and Giad were previously sanctioned in 2023.
OFAC also designated Ports Engineering Company Ltd, a state-owned civil engineering firm based in Port Sudan. Linked to Sudan Master Technology, the firm allegedly imported military uniforms and footwear for Sudanese intelligence from a company in the United Arab Emirates, as well as ammunition belts and weapons cases from a Turkish firm since the conflict began in April 2023.
The sanctions also targeted individuals tied to a network that recruits former Colombian military personnel to fight alongside the RSF. This network is led by retired Colombian officer Alvaro Andres Quijano Becerra and his wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, who were previously sanctioned. U.S. authorities blacklisted three individuals associated with Panama-based Talent Bridge, SA, a company allegedly used to obscure recruitment operations: Panamanian nationals Enrique Daniel Palacios Quintanilla and Jack Peter Derman Guzman, and Colombian national Fredy Alejandro Lopez Ocampo.
Sudan's civil war, which erupted in April 2023 between the SAF and the RSF, has caused a severe humanitarian crisis, displacing millions and leading to widespread famine and atrocities. The conflict has drawn in external actors and exacerbated regional instability.
