The US Department of Justice on Tuesday in the District of Arizona accused Peter Biar Ajak 40, a South Sudanese exiled Activist, and Abraham Chol Keech, 44, of conspiring to purchase and illegally export millions of dollars worth of military weapons to South Sudan.
VOA reported the prosecutors alleged that Peter Ajak, a former economist with the World Bank, and an associate, Abraham Chol Keech, intended to send the weapons to “opposition groups seeking to effect a non-democratic regime change in South Sudan.”
The US government released a statement alleging that between February 2023 and February 2024, Ajak and Keech sought to illegally purchase weapons and related export-controlled items from undercover law enforcement agents.
The guns were smuggled to South Sudan a country that has been banned by the Security Council imposed an arms embargo on South Sudan through Resolution 2428 (2018) and has since renewed it several times with the most recent renewal being through Resolution 2633 (2022).
According to the US Justice Department, the defendants further sought to conceal from financial institutions and others the source and purpose of the funds used to purchase and smuggle illicit arms.
In a document seen by Radio Bakhita, the activist and co-accused agreed to pay a risk fee for the weapons because of the illegal nature of the arms sale. In addition, to facilitate the smuggling scheme, the defendants discussed disguising the weapons as humanitarian aid and paying bribes.
For example, the defendants agreed to an arms contract for nearly $4 million worth of weapons and related items and requested a “fake contract” in the same amount in “consulting services”
If convicted, Peter Biar will face up to 20 years in prison for conspiring to violate the AECA, up to 20 years in prison for conspiring to violate the ECRA, and up to 10 years in prison for smuggling goods from the United States according to the office of Public Affairs US Department of Justice.