The U.K. added four people to its Sudan sanctions regime on Dec. 12 for their leadership positions in the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the Sudanese paramilitary force waging war in Sudan. The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation listed Gedo Hamdan Ahmed; Abdul Rahim Hamdan Daglo, RSF lieutenant general; Al-Fateh Abdullah Idris, RSF brigadier general; and Tijani Ibrahim Moussa Mohamed, RSF field commander.
The Bureau of Industry and Security has completed a round of interagency reviews to finalize a set of regulations that in January placed new export controls on certain lab equipment that can be misused by "countries of concern" for military purposes (see 2501150020). The rulemaking, sent for interagency review Sept. 23 and completed Dec. 11, will finalize those revisions to "address the accelerating development and deployment of advanced biotechnology tools contrary to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests," BIS said.
The U.S. government appears to be focusing more heavily on adding entities to the Pentagon’s Chinese military company list, and Chinese companies are growing increasingly concerned about being added, lawyers said.
The U.K. has formally acceded to the Agreement on Defense Export Controls, a partnership with France, Germany and Spain aimed at removing obstacles to license application approvals.
Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, said Dec. 11 the U.S. should designate Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
Rep. Mike Kennedy, R-Utah, on Dec. 4 introduced a House companion to a Senate bill that would sanction Chinese individuals and entities that engage in a pattern of theft of intellectual property from the U.S. (see 2501310002). The Combatting China’s Pilfering of Intellectual Property Act, or CCP IP Act, was referred to the House Foreign Affairs and Judiciary committees. Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, reintroduced the Senate version in January.
A bipartisan, bicameral group of four lawmakers led by House Select Committee on China ranking member Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., has introduced a bill aimed at helping the U.S. improve its use of sanctions against China for conducting oil and missile-related trade with Iran.
The House voted late Dec. 10 to pass the final FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, which includes legislation to limit U.S. outbound investment in China and repeal a Syria sanctions law (see 2512080048).
Companies with touchpoints to the U.S.-Mexico supply chain are facing more compliance risks amid the Trump administration's focus on sanctioning Mexican drug cartels, including measures to label them as terror groups, the Bradley law firm said in a Dec. 9 client alert.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned several people, companies and ships connected to Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and the country's shipping and energy sectors.