Israel ex-general under US sanctions denies arming S. Sudan war
JERUSALEM: A retired Israeli army general hit by US sanctions for alleged involvement in the South Sudan conflict denied the charges, saying they were based on false information and that he was available for investigation by the Trump administration.
The US Treasury slapped sanctions on Yisrael Ziv and three firms he controls, accusing him of using an agricultural consultancy as cover for weapons sales worth US$ 150 million to the Juba government while also arming the opposition.
“He ( Ziv) has also reportedly planned to organise attacks by mercenaries on South Sudanese oil fields and infrastructure, in an effort to create a problem that only his company and affiliates could solve,” a Treasury statement said.
Interviewed by Israel’s Army Radio, Ziv said he had never trafficked in weaponry and called the charges against him “ludicrous, baseless, completely divorced from reality”.
“We have an amazing agriculture project there ... that many communities depend on. Tens of thousands of people are employed through this project and it feeds the South Sudan market. So anyone who claims this project is a cover should come see it.”
The Trump administration has championed international arms embargos against South Sudan to pressure President Salva Kiir into ending the country’s civil war and humanitarian crisis.
Two South Sudanese nationals, Obac William Olawo and Gregory Vasili, were named alongside Ziv in Friday’s US Treasury sanctions notice. Neither was immediately available for comment.
“This is not the first time the ( US) administration has used sanctions to enforce its foreign policy,” Ziv said.
“I am approachable ... I want to believe in the decency of the administration. And they are welcome to come, to check, to investigate. We will open up everything for them.” — Reuters