On August 14, 2023, the US State Department, the Labor Department, and the Commerce Department issued a business advisory (“Business Advisory”) highlighting key risks for companies operating in South Sudan. While it does not impose new legal obligations on companies, the Business Advisory highlights the fact that list-based sanctions remain in force targeting certain South Sudanese persons including designations under the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List, and…
On June 14, 2023, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) published a Fact Sheet providing a helpful consolidated summary of the various existing exemptions, exceptions, and authorizations relating to the provision of humanitarian assistance that are available under certain US sanctions programs to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Fact Sheet is informational only and does not supersede any legal obligations or create new, or modify existing, exemptions, exceptions, or authorizations. Fact…
On March 24, 2023, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) issued a final rule amending and reissuing the Belarus Sanctions Regulations, 31 CFR part 548 (the “Regulations”), to implement Executive Order (“EO”) 14038, including Directive 1 issued pursuant to EO 14038. The final rule is effective as of March 27, 2023. OFAC had previously sanctioned certain Belarussian parties as a result of Belarus’ support for and facilitation of Russia’s invasion of…
On November 26, 2022, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Controls (“OFAC”) issued General License 41 (“GL 41“) authorizing Chevron Corporation (“Chevron”) to resume limited oil extraction operations in Venezuela and accompanying FAQs. According to the accompanying press release, OFAC issued GL 41 after Unitary Platform and President Maduro’s regime announced the resumption of negotiations; a humanitarian agreement focused on education, health, food security, flood response, and electricity programs that will…