The United States government on Thursday added the names of two South Sudanese generals to a list of sanctioned individuals, on the eve of the resumption of peace talks in the Ethiopian city of Bahir Dar.

An announcement by the US Treasury Department noted designated Maj-Gen. James Koang Chuol and Maj-Gen. Santino Deng Wol as subject to earlier defined sanctions.

This means that the United States government now bans the two generals from traveling to US territories and may attempt to seize any money kept by the generals in US banks or in US-owned banks outside of the United States.

Also on Thursday the British government urged East African countries belonging to the regional bloc IGAD to prepare to impose their own “punitive measures” against those who obstruct peace.

The British Minister for Africa James Duddridge stated, “The region should now take steps to apply sanctions against those who do not abide by their commitments. The UN Security Council should also take action soon.”

Santino Deng had already been named by the European Union to its own sanctions list in July, after the EU accused Santino of violating the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement by attacking the town of Bentiu in May 2014.

He belongs to the SPLA-Juba forces fighting for President Salva Kiir. After he was named to the EU sanctions list in July, authorities in his home state of Northern Bahr al Ghazal sought to suppress local media reporting on the news.

The other general, James Koang Chuol, is the former SPLA 4th Division commander who defected in December 2013 and declared himself military governor of Unity State. He is now loyal to the SPLM-IO faction led by former vice president Riek Machar.

As pointed out by the Financial Times in July, South Sudan’s top leaders “rely on considerable real estate and banking assets outside their own country, in east Africa, the Middle East and Europe.”

For this reason, EU and US diplomats have calculated that financial sanctions could impact on the leaders of the two warring factions SPLM-IO and SPLM-Juba, whom they blame for violating a ceasefire agreement and gross human rights violations.

The United States government announced birth dates and passport numbers of the two generals so that US immigration authorities will know not to allow the two men to enter the United States, should they ever seek to do so, and so that banking authorities are able to prevent financial transactions involving either of the men.

File photo: Santino Deng Wol (left) with Paul Malong Awan (right)

Related:

Bahr al Ghazal radio stations say free to report on European Union sanctions (18 Aug.)

EU to seize funds of SPLA Gen. Santino Deng (11 July)

Sanctions list: Marial Chanuong, Peter Gadet, Santino Deng (11 July)