Complicit Dossier

Procurement and supply networks · person (Director General, DIS) · Sudan

Mirghani Idris Suleiman

ادريس ميرغني ادريس سليمان · ميرغني ادريس سليمان ادريس · ميرغني إدريس – مدير عام منظومة الصناعات الدفاعية

  • Part of the SAF or state-controlled
  • Grade A: Official recordStrongest record: official record
  • Sanctioned byCAEUUS
  • 5 documented ties · 2 steps from the SAF

Also recorded as: El Mirghani Idris SULEIMAN; Al-Mirghani IDRIS; Mirghani Idriss SULEIMAN; Margani Idries Suliman IDRIES; Mirghani Idris Suleiman Idris; SULEIMAN, Mirghani Idris; Suleiman Mirghani Idriss; Al-Mirghani Idris; …

Director-General of DIS; appointed chairman of Zadna by Burhan in Oct 2021 (EU). EU: has travelled extensively with Burhan since the war began.

Their response

  • Sudan government: 'نددت الحكومة السودانية، الجمعة، بفرض الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية عقوبات على مدير عام منظومة الصناعات الدفاعية ميرغني إدريس' and argued that national armies are entitled to acquire the means of defence.

Records

6

Each record carries its own grade. A grade describes the source for that record, not the actor.

Grade A: Official record

Lt Gen Mirghani Idris Suleiman (Director-General, DIS; chairman, Zadna)

2019 to present

Director-General of DIS; appointed chairman of Zadna by Burhan in Oct 2021 (EU). EU: has travelled extensively with Burhan since the war began.

Response
No response located in the sources reviewed.
Sanctions
US OFAC SDN Oct 2024; EU 2024-06-24 (Reg. 2024/1783); Canada; Switzerland.
›Research notes

[Verification: The EU text says he travelled with Burhan "allegedly, to enhance the SAF's capabilities" - keep the qualifier.]

  1. 1OpenSanctions consolidated sanctions export (EU FSF, UK FCDO, OFAC SDN texts), snapshot 2026-10-03 · opensanctions.org · 3 Oct 2026
  2. 2US Treasury, 'Treasury Sanctions Sudanese Armed Forces Weapons Procurement Director' · home.treasury.gov · Oct 2024

NamesZadnaal-Burhan

Grade A: Official record

Mirghani Idris Suleiman

2023 - 2026mixed sourcing

Director General of DIS; 'the face of SAF procurement, heading several official delegations to potential suppliers'; signed the Baykar contract.

Sanctions
OFAC SDN, 24 Oct 2024.
›Research notes

The Baykar contract element rests on a single investigation (grade C).

  1. 1US Treasury press release jy2672: designation of SAF procurement director Mirghani Idris Suleiman · home.treasury.gov · 24 Oct 2024read via summary
  2. 2Washington Post: A Turkish arms firm helped fuel Sudan's brutal civil war, records show · washingtonpost.com · 7 Mar 2025read via summary

NamesBaykar

Grade A: Official record

Mirghani Idris Suleiman (DIS director-general) – presence at head-of-state meetings abroad

Official readouts list the sanctioned DIS chief in Burhan's delegation at meetings with Azerbaijan's President Aliyev (Antalya, 11 Apr 2025) and Libya's GNU Prime Minister Dbeibah (12 Apr 2025), alongside the intelligence director; he also travelled on Burhan's Jan 2025 West Africa tour (Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone) and the Sept 2024 China trip. Presence only – no defence deal is announced in these posts.

Fact-check
None.
Source
official SAF-side (Transitional Sovereignty Council media office channel; presents as official, signed 'إعلام مجلس السيادة الانتقالي', active since 2020; not cross-verified from a government website)
  1. 1Sovereignty Council media office · t.me · 11 Apr 2025

Namesal-BurhanAzerbaijanChina

Grade A: Official record

On the presidential delegation: Algiers, El Alamein, Antalya, Ankara; new title in 2026

2024-01 to 2026-05

DIS's page places its director-general on Burhan's delegation to Algeria (28 Jan 2024), to Egypt for the meeting with President Sisi at El Alamein (1 Jul 2025), to Türkiye for the Antalya meeting with President Erdogan (11-12 Apr 2025) and to Ankara on 25 Dec 2025, when the delegation was the DIS director-general, the foreign ministry under-secretary and the director of the General Intelligence Service. From May 2026 official posts style him 'Assistant Commander-in-Chief for Military Industries Affairs' as well as DIS director-general.

Why this grade
Grade A is for the fact that the page announced this. The page was identified as official by its name and content; no verification badge was detected.
Sanctions
US (OFAC) designated.
›Research notes

Source alignment: official SAF-side channel. Grade applies to the fact that the announcement was made, not to its content. Presence only; the posts give no agenda for the arms-industry chief on these visits.

  1. 1Defense Industries System Facebook page (MASAD.SD): DIS director-general arrives in Algeria · facebook.com · 28 Jan 2024
  2. 2Defense Industries System Facebook page (MASAD.SD): Burhan visits Egypt with a delegation including the DIS director · facebook.com · 1 Jul 2025
  3. 3Defense Industries System Facebook page (MASAD.SD): Burhan arrives in Türkiye; DIS director-general accompanies the delegation · facebook.com · 25 Dec 2025
  4. 4Defense Industries System Facebook page (MASAD.SD): SAHA 2026 (title 'Assistant Commander-in-Chief for Military Industries Affairs') · facebook.com · 5 May 2026

Namesal-BurhanAlgeriaEgyptTürkiye

Grade C: Single source

Mirghani Idris (Director-General, DIS)

OFAC sanctioned the DIS director-general in Oct 2024 for leading SAF's weapons-procurement efforts; Sudan's government condemned the listing.

Why this grade
Press report of an official act. The primary record is cited in another record for this actor.
Response
Sudan government: 'نددت الحكومة السودانية، الجمعة، بفرض الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية عقوبات على مدير عام منظومة الصناعات الدفاعية ميرغني إدريس' and argued that national armies are entitled to acquire the means of defence.
Source
Sudan Tribune Arabic (independent, Paris-based)
  1. 1Sudan Tribune Arabic · sudantribune.net · 25 Oct 2024

1 more record below grade A (corroborated, single-source or unverified). Change “Evidence shown” to see it.

1 more record at grade C (single source) or D (unverified lead). Change “Evidence shown” to see it.

Checked against the document

6

Statements compared with the wording of the primary document.

  • “Idris has been at the center of weapons deals that have fueled the brutality and scale of the war, serving as Director General of Defense Industries System (DIS), the SAF’s primary weapons production and procurement arm.”

    US Treasury press release jy2672, "Treasury Sanctions Sudanese Armed Forces Weapons Procurement Director"24 Oct 2024verified verbatim

    Correction: Brief said "Oct 2024": exact date is 24 October 2024.

  • OFAC recent-actions pages and SDN.XML published 2 Oct 20262 Oct 2026verified verbatim

  • 24 Oct 2024could not open

  • “Zadna International Company for Investment Limited (Zadna) is a holding company in agriculture and construction, which is 99 % owned by the SAF controlled Special Fund for the Social Security of the Armed Forces (SFSSAF), formerly known as the Charity Organisation for the Support of the Armed Forces. The leader of the SAF, Commander Al-Burhan, appointed in October 2021 General El Mirghani Idris Suleiman as Chairman of Zadna, who is one of his friends and Director of DIS.”

    Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/384, Annex, B.322 Jan 2024verified verbatim

    Correction: finance.json #5 renders the EU text as "party to flagship international commercial agreements and one of the main revenue sources of the army's company network" - not the English OJ wording, which is "a leading company engaged in high-profile international business deals and is one of the top revenue earners in the army’s network of companies". Use the OJ wording.

  • “As the Director General of DIS, Mirghani Idriss Suleiman has travelled extensively with General Abdelfattah Al-Burhan, Commander-in-Chief of the SAF, since the beginning of the war, allegedly, to enhance the SAF’s capabilities to fight the RSF on several fronts in Khartoum, Darfur and Kordofan.”

    Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1783, Annex, entry 124 Jun 2024verified verbatim

    Correction: The EU text contains the qualifier "allegedly", which finance.json #31 drops ("EU: has travelled extensively with Burhan since the war began"). Keep the qualifier. The EU listed him four months before OFAC.

  • Washington Post, "A Turkish arms firm helped fuel Sudan’s brutal civil war, records show" (7 March 2025)7 Mar 2025could not open

    Correction: From the reprint: (1) "six vs eight" is resolved - the contract covered six TB2s; Baykar "sent at least $120 million worth of weapons — including eight of its signature TB2 drones", two more having been delivered in October 2024. (2) The first pass omits a caveat the Post itself gives: "The Post could not independently confirm the date of the signing." Add it wherever the 16 Nov 2023 date is used. (3) Say "at least $120 million", as the Post does.

Relationships

6

← means the other party acts on this one; → means this one acts on the other.

Ownership and control · 4

Arms and supply · 1

1 more relationship below grade A (corroborated, single-source or unverified). Change “Evidence shown” to see it.

Political ties · 1

Sanctions listings

2

  • European Union24 Jun 2024EU.11832.96

    ›Stated reason

    Lieutenant General Mirghani Idriss Suleiman is an officer of the SAF and Director General of Defense Industry System (DIS), a company sanctioned by the European Union for providing support to actions and policies that threaten the peace, stability and security of Sudan. DIS is described as Sudan’s largest defence enterprise, generating an estimated USD 2 billion in revenue through hundreds of subsidiaries across various sectors of Sudan’s economy. DIS manufactures a range of small arms, conventional weapons, ammunition and military vehicles for the SAF. As the Director General of DIS, Mirghani Idriss Suleiman has travelled extensively with General Abdelfattah Al-Burhan, Commander-in-Chief of the SAF, since the beginning of the war, allegedly, to enhance the SAF’s capabilities to fight the RSF on several fronts in Khartoum, Darfur and Kordofan. Therefore, Mirghani Idriss Suleiman [...]

  • United States (OFAC)24 Oct 2024OFAC SDN UID 51327

    ›Stated reason

    Mirghani Idris Suleiman is the head of OFAC-sanctioned DIS, the arm of the SAF primarily responsible for weapons procurement and production. Idris began his career in the officer corps of the SAF, graduating alongside SAF Commander Burhan in the 31st graduating batch. He then served in Sudan’s intelligence service before being appointed to lead the DIS. Since his appointment, Idris has served as the face of SAF procurement, heading several official delegations to potential suppliers. | Idris is being designated pursuant to E.O. 14098, for being a foreign person who is or has been a leader, official, senior executive officer, or member of the board of directors of the DIS, a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to E.O. 14098. home.treasury.gov

Dated events

6

  1. Date on $120m Baykar-DIS contract for 6 TB2, 3 ground stations, 600 warheads, signed by Mirghani Idris Suleiman. washingtonpost.com

    Grade B: Corroborated

  2. DIS director-general arrives in Algiers on Burhan's delegation. facebook.com

    Grade A: Official record

  3. DIS director-general meets the governor of Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Military Industries at the World Defense Show in Riyadh. facebook.com

    Grade A: Official record

  4. OFAC designates DIS director Mirghani Idris Suleiman; cites Iranian drones and a port-for-weapons deal with Russia. home.treasury.gov

    Grade A: Official record

  5. DIS director-general and Egypt's Minister of State for Military Production discuss cooperation in military manufacturing at EDEX 2025. facebook.com

    Grade A: Official record

  6. Burhan arrives in Ankara accompanied by the DIS director-general and the intelligence director. facebook.com

    Grade A: Official record

1 more event below grade A (corroborated, single-source or unverified). Change “Evidence shown” to see it.

Geography

Tags come from the recorded jurisdiction and from place names in the records. Coordinates on the map are approximate.

Based in
Sudan
Also named
Türkiye (3), Egypt (1), China (1), Azerbaijan (1), Libya (1), Algeria (1)
Places
Ankara, Antalya

Position in the network

Derived by analysing the documented relationships. Nothing in this section is a finding.

Still connected to the SAF when only official records are counted.

›Possible links to investigate · 6