The U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned Sudan’s Finance Minister Dr. Gebreil Ibrahim Mohamed Fediel and the Al-Baraa Bin Malik Brigade (BBMB) for their role in the country’s civil war and alleged ties to Iran. This comes as African and Arab mediators push for renewed peace talks to end the conflict that has killed approximately 150,000 people and displaced over 14 million.

• The sanctions target Dr. Gebreil, who also leads the Darfur-based Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), and the BBMB, a paramilitary group accused of links to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
• The U.S. claims the sanctioned entities are fueling the war and threatening regional and global security, with the BBMB reportedly fielding up to 20,000 combatants armed and trained by the IRGC.
• The sanctions coincide with renewed diplomatic efforts by the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), who welcome calls for a three-month humanitarian truce and a roadmap for a civilian-led transition within nine months.