US charges two in alleged plot to illegally export weapons to South Sudan

Two US citizens, Abraham Chol Keech and Peter Biar Ajak, are charged with breaching export restrictions after allegedly transferring millions of dollars worth of weapons to South Sudan

The US Department of Justice said on Tuesday that two people have been charged with breaching export restrictions after allegedly arranging to transfer millions of dollars worth of weapons to South Sudan.

In keeping with the department’s statement, the defendants, named as Utah’s Abraham Chol Keech and Maryland’s Peter Biar Ajak, are accused of attempting to transfer firearms, grenade launchers, ammunition, Stinger missile systems, and hand grenades to West Sudan.

According to Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen, “the defendants attempted to smuggle heavy weapons and ammunition into South Sudan illegally from the United States.” He emphasized the seriousness of the situation, stressing that thousands of people have been displaced and that South Sudan is still subject to a UN weapons embargo as a consequence of the continuous bloodshed committed by several armed groups.

Based on information included in the criminal complaint, which covers the period from February 2023 to Feb. 2024, the defendants allegedly attempted to obtain weapons from undercover law enforcement officers and smuggle them into South Sudan by way of a third nation.

Claiming to be in the business of humanitarian relief, their purported strategy comprised disguising a nearly $4 million weaponry deal. The maximum term for Keech and Ajak if they are found guilty of breaking the Arms Export Control Act is twenty years in jail. If found guilty of violating the Export Control Reform Act, they might also spend an extra 20 years in prison. In addition, because of their role in the smuggling of products out of the United States, the defendants may spend a maximum of 10 years in jail. 

Source: AFP