Foreign Ministry rejects US Treasury Department decision on Zadna Company

Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued press statement Thursday rejecting the decision of the US Treasury Department to impose sanctions on Zadna International Company under the pretext of its affiliation to the Sudanese Armed Forces. Hereunder Sudan News Agency (SUNA) provides an unofficial translation of the Ministry’s statement:

Republic of Sudan Ministry of Foreign Affairs Office of the Official Spokesperson and Media Department Press Statement The Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejects the decision of the US Treasury Department to impose sanctions on Zadna International Company under the pretext of its affiliation to the Sudanese Armed Forces. The Ministry reiterates that the Sudanese Armed Forces are the legitimate national army entrusted with defending the country and its people and protecting national security, national sovereignty and the supreme interests of Sudan. In addition to playing an essential role in achieving regional peace and stability, as it is the oldest, most experienced and professional army in the Horn of Africa. Therefore, targeting any national institution under the pretext of its affiliation to the armed forces can only be understood as an attempt to weaken the national army. This not only constitutes a threat to the stability and unity of Sudan, but will contribute to the growing risks of terrorism, cross-border crimes, and security chaos throughout the region. The unjust decision also harms the largest national agricultural company, which contributes greatly to achieving food security in Sudan and the region. The decision was based on weak justifications that do not stand up to any serious examination or objective evaluation. It included surprising allegations, such as talk about “laundering the armed forces’ money,” which is a reference that contradicts logic and reason. This reflects the confusion and contradiction of the American administration’s position on the crisis in Sudan. It has repeatedly confirmed that the terrorist militia is practicing ethnic cleansing and atrocities equivalent to genocide. After the US government issued its unjust decision yesterday, there were statements by Samantha Power, Director of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), that the militia is practicing ethnic cleansing and atrocities against millions of Sudanese. However, the American administration equates the terrorist militia with the Sudanese Armed Forces, which confronts its terrorism and atrocities against defenseless citizens. The recent report of United Nations experts monitoring the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1591 has revealed those truly responsible for the continuation of the war in Sudan. If the United States is serious about stopping the war, it must oblige the countries that continue to supply the militia with lethal weapons or facilitate their access to them in order to continue its war against the Sudanese people to stop doing so, instead of taking turbulent and contradictory positions that only encourage the terrorist militia to persist in its crimes. Classifying the militia as a terrorist organization in light of Security Council Resolutions 1373 and 6712 leaves no pretext to consider it an equal party to the national army, or to pretend to be neutral between them.