SBL Energy Limited

OFAC release sb0544: supplier of explosives to TMAC (foreign supplier to the SAF procurement network)

OFAC: TMAC 'has imported explosives and related material into Sudan from Egyptian and Indian companies, including India-based explosives manufacturer, SBL Energy Limited (SBL). These explosives are subsequently used in bombs deployed by the SAF. SBL... has supplied TMAC with over 200 shipments of explosives and explosives-related materiel since 2024.'

Why this grade

A (registration, LEI, designation); B (financials - rating agency); the supply claim itself is A as a sanctions finding but is disputed by the company

Response

DENIED. SBL (statements 27 Jun-1 Jul 2026): it 'had exported only about 10 consignments of industrial mining explosives to Sudan since 2022'; shipments were 'supported by end-use certificates issued by the Government of Sudan and vetted through the Embassy of India in Sudan'; export licences issued by PESO, with DGFT/MEA clearances; products 'intended solely for civil construction and mining purposes'; it 'has appointed legal counsel and intends to cooperate fully with OFAC... and seek removal from the sanctions list'.

Sanctions

US OFAC, SUDAN-EO14098, 2026-06-26, material support to Target Multiactivities Company Ltd; US OFAC, 2026-06-26

Explosives manufacturer that supplied DIS-controlled TMAC with over 200 shipments of explosives and explosives-related materiel since 2024; OFAC states these explosives 'are subsequently used in bombs deployed by the SAF'.

Response

DENIED. SBL (statements 27 Jun-1 Jul 2026): it 'had exported only about 10 consignments of industrial mining explosives to Sudan since 2022'; shipments were 'supported by end-use certificates issued by the Government of Sudan and vetted through the Embassy of India in Sudan'; export licences issued by PESO, with DGFT/MEA clearances; products 'intended solely for civil construction and mining purposes'; it 'has appointed legal counsel and intends to cooperate fully with OFAC... and seek removal from the sanctions list'.

Sanctions

OFAC SDN, E.O. 14098, designated 26 Jun 2026; CEO Alok Choudhari designated the same day.

India's monthly returns to UN Comtrade show no explosives exports to Sudan from January to November 2024, then a continuous flow: detonators and related items (HS 3603) in December 2024, and prepared explosives (HS 3602) in nine months of 2025 (February to September and November) and in January 2026. Totals for December 2024 to January 2026 are 6,672 tonnes of prepared explosives and 411 tonnes of HS 3603 goods, shipped in eleven separate months, with a declared value of about USD 10.4 million. Nothing is declared from February to July 2026, the last month India has reported, so the flow had stopped about five months before the designation of 26 June 2026. For comparison India declared 1,051 tonnes in 2022 and 500 tonnes in 2023. The two competing counts are therefore not necessarily contradictory: eleven monthly entries is close to SBL's 'about 10 consignments', while 6,672 tonnes at 15 to 20 tonnes per container would be some 330 to 450 container loads, in line with OFAC's 'over 200 shipments' if Treasury (which worked with the Customs and Border Protection National Targeting Center) counted containers or bill-of-lading lines. That reconciliation is an inference; neither side has said what unit it counted. SBL's phrase 'since 2022' sits awkwardly with the 2022 and 2023 tonnages unless other Indian exporters were also shipping.

Response

SBL (The Hitavada, 28 June 2026; UNI, 1 July 2026): it 'exported only about 10 consignments of industrial mining explosives to Sudan since 2022'; 'every shipment was supported by end-use certificates issued by the Government of Sudan and vetted through the Embassy of India in Sudan'; export licences came from the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation; it 'will shortly submit a formal representation before the US Treasury Department, supported by documentary evidence'. No report that the representation was filed, and no statement from India's Ministry of External Affairs, DGFT or PESO, was found (three searches; Business Today, Scroll and The Wire coverage carries none).

Sanctions

OFAC, 26 June 2026 (E.O. 14098). No delisting found: SBL is on the SDN list as of 3 October 2026.

OFAC (June 2026) says SBL Energy supplied TMAC with more than 200 shipments of explosives since 2024. The company's CEO was also designated according to Indian press.

Why this grade

Press report of an official act. The primary record is cited in another record for this actor.

Response

DENIED. CEO Alok Choudhari (The Hitavada, 28 June 2026, https://www.thehitavada.com/Encyc/2026/6/28/sbl-refutes-us-allegations-says-all-exports-were-strictly-for-civil-mining.html): company makes industrial explosives 'exclusively for civil mining, quarrying and construction'; exported 'only about 10 consignments' to Sudan since 2022, all with end-use certificates and Indian approvals.

Source

Al Bayan (UAE daily, Dubai government-owned; UAE is accused of backing the RSF) reporting a US Treasury (OFAC) action