Bush tightens sanctions on Sudan over Darfur

President George W. Bush imposed new US sanctions on Sudan yesterday and sought support for an international arms embargo out of frustration at Sudan's refusal to end what he called a genocide in Darfur.

"The people of Darfur are crying out for help, and they deserve it," Mr Bush said.

Accusing the Sudanese government of obstructing UN efforts to bring peace to Darfur, Mr Bush said the US Treasury Department will bar 31 companies controlled by Sudan from doing business in the US financial system.

The companies targeted included firms in Sudan's booming oil business and one that has been transporting weapons to the Sudanese government and militia forces in Darfur.

Mr Bush also imposed economic sanctions on four Sudanese individuals, including two senior Sudanese officials and a rebel leader suspected of involvement in the Darfur violence.

Khartoum criticised the sanctions before they were even formally announced.

"I think these sanctions are not justified. It is not timely. We are cooperating well with the United Nations," Mutrif Siddig, Sudanese undersecretary for foreign affairs, said in Khartoum.

The ratcheting up of US pressure coincides with a broader effort by UN officials to get Sudan to end the conflict that the United Nations says has killed more than 200,000 people and driven two million from their homes since 2003. Khartoum says 9,000 have died and rejects accusations of genocide.

"My administration has called these actions by their rightful name: genocide. The world has a responsibility to help put an end to it," Mr Bush said.

He also directed US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to consult with Britain and other allies on pursuing new UN Security Council sanctions against Sudan that would impose an expanded arms embargo on Sudan's government.

"It will prohibit the Sudanese government from conducting any offensive military flights over Darfur. It will strengthen our ability to monitor and report any violations," Mr Bush said.

China, a major consumer of Sudan's oil, was sceptical. In Beijing, China's representative on African affairs, Liu Guijin, said: "Expanding sanctions can only make the problem more difficult to resolve."

Asked whether UN Security Council member China would veto any new UN resolution targeting Sudan, he said: "It's still too early to speak of."

But the EU expressed a willingness to discuss tougher sanctions. "We are open to consider that," EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said at an EU meeting in Hamburg.