A bipartisan effort to sanction foreign actors fueling Sudan’s civil war has gained a possible route through Congress after Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch (R-ID) filed the measure as an amendment to the Senate’s annual defense policy bill.
The PEACE in Sudan Act, introduced by Republican senators Risch (R-ID) and John Cornyn (R-TX) and Democratic senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), was approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on June 17. Risch subsequently filed its provisions as Amendment 6336 to the fiscal 2027 defense authorization bill – a vehicle lawmakers frequently use to advance measures that might otherwise stall.
The bill would authorize, not require, sanctions on foreign suppliers to the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces, leaving the administration discretion over whether to act against specific partners. It would mandate reporting on external military, financial and intelligence support to both sides. Monitors including ISW’s Africa File have tied Iran, Russia, Egypt and Turkey to SAF support, and the UAE to RSF support. The UAE has denied backing either belligerent and Russia’s alignment has shifted over the course of the war, having initially supported the RSF before switching to the SAF in 2024.
A separate provision would require, but not conduct, an assessment of whether any armed actor in Sudan meets the criteria for designation as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. It would not itself make a designation. SDGT status would block a designee’s assets and generally prohibit transactions involving U.S. persons, but is legally distinct from Foreign Terrorist Organization status and its criminal material-support prohibition.
The bill would also extend authorization for a U.S. special envoy and require a State Department strategy for ending the conflict.
The Senate NDAA remains stalled after a July 14 procedural vote failed, and any surviving provision would still need to clear negotiations with the House.
