US Sanctions Jibril Ibrahim and Al Bara Ibn Malik Brigades

On Friday, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on two Sudanese Islamist actors —Jibril Ibrahim Mohamed Fadil, Sudan’s current Finance Minister, and Al-Baraa Ibn Malik Brigades, which fights alongside the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF)— for their involvement in the brutal Sudanese civil war and their ties to Iran.

The United States explained that these sanctions aim to limit Islamist influence within Sudan and curtail Iran’s regional activities, which have contributed to regional destabilization, conflict, and civilian suffering. 

The United States shared that it remains committed to working with regional partners to achieve peace and stability in Sudan, ensuring that the country does not become a safe haven for those who threaten Americans and the national interests of the United States.

“Sudanese Islamist groups have formed dangerous alliances with the Iranian regime. We will not stand by idly and allow them to threaten regional and global security,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K. Hurley.  “The Treasury Department is using our powerful sanctions tools to disrupt this activity and protect U.S. national security.”

According to the United States, Sudanese Islamist elements have long been a destructive force in Sudan, most notably during the Islamist regime of former President Omar Al-Bashir, who governed Sudan for (30 years) until (2019).  

More recently, Sudanese Islamists have played a key role in derailing Sudan’s progress toward a democratic transition, including by undermining the former civilian-led transitional government and the Framework Political Agreement process. 

This contributed to the outbreak of fighting between Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in (April 2023).  Since then, an estimated (150,000 people) have been killed, and more than (14 million) have been displaced, giving rise to the world’s worst ongoing humanitarian crisis. 

Sudanese Islamists continue to actively obstruct efforts to reach a ceasefire to end the current war and are cultivating ties with and receiving technical support from the Iranian Government, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). 

Jibril Ibrahim

Jibril Ibrahim is Sudan’s Finance currentMinister and chairman of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), a Darfuri armed group with historical links to Hassan Al-Turabi, the architect of Sudan’s Islamist revolution. The aforementioned Justice and Equality Movement has contributed thousands of its followers to fight the Rapid Support Forces, leading to the destruction of Sudanese towns and the deaths and displacement of thousands of Sudanese civilians.  Additionally, Jibril has collaborated with the Iranian Government with the intent of strengthening political and economic ties as he traveled to Tehran last November. 

Al-Baraa Ibn Malik Brigades

Al-Baraa Ibn Malik Brigades is a Sudan-based, Islamist militia that traces its origins to Sudan’s Popular Defense Forces, an Islamist paramilitary organization associated with the former regime of Omar Al-Bashir. It has contributed upwards of (20,000 fighters) in the conflict against the Rapid Support Forces, using training and weapons provided by the Iranian (IRGC). Furthermore, Al-Baraa fighters have been implicated in arbitrary arrests, torture, and summary executions of those perceived to be aligned with the (RSF).  As Al-Baraa Brigades, along with other armed Islamist militias in Sudan, represent a significant impediment to ending the civil war in Sudan and undermine efforts to resolve the conflict.

Jibril is being designated pursuant to Executive Order (E.O. 14098), “Imposing Sanctions on Certain Persons Destabilizing Sudan and Undermining the Goal of a Democratic Transition,” for being a foreign person who is or has been a leader, official, senior executive officer, or member of the board of directors of (JEM); an entity that has, or whose members have, been responsible for, or complicit in, or have directly or indirectly engaged in actions or policies that threaten the peace, security, or stability of Sudan relating to the tenure of such leader, official, senior executive officer, or member of the board of directors. Additionally, Al-Baraa Ibn Malik is being designated pursuant to (E.O. 14098) for being a foreign person who is responsible for, or complicit in, or who has directly or indirectly engaged or attempted to engage in, actions or policies that threaten the peace, security, or stability of Sudan.