Senators Call for Sanctioning Sudan’s Gold Trade, Expanding Darfur Arms Embargo
A bipartisan group of six senators urged the Biden administration Dec. 17 to sanction foreign entities involved in illegally smuggling gold from Sudan to the United Arab Emirates and other countries.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
In a letter to President Joe Biden, the senators said the gold trade is fueling Sudan’s civil war by providing revenue to the Rapid Support Forces militia group, which is fighting the Sudanese Armed Forces. The letter encourages the administration to coordinate its sanctions efforts with U.S. allies and partners to provide a stronger response.
The letter was led by Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., and Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Jim Risch, R-Idaho. It was co-signed by Sens. Chris Coons, D-Del., Todd Young, R-Ind., Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Mike Rounds, R-S.D. The White House had no immediate comment on the letter.
In other Sudan news, Booker and Rounds introduced a resolution Dec. 18 urging the U.N. Security Council to extend the arms embargo on Sudan’s Darfur region to cover the entire country amid spreading violence. The resolution also calls for increased enforcement of the embargo, as “only one individual has ever been sanctioned for violating” it.
The resolution is co-sponsored by Young and Sens. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Chris Murphy, D-Conn.