Critic Peter Biar and another man have been sentenced to prison in the United States for conspiring to illegally export military-grade weapons from the U.S. to South Sudan, according to the Department of Justice.

Peter Biar Ajak, 42, of Maryland, was sentenced to 46 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Sharad H. Desai in the District of Arizona, followed by three years of supervised release.

His co-defendant, Abraham Chol Keech, 46, of Utah, was previously sentenced on December 18, 2025, to 41 months in prison and three years of supervised release.

Both men pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act and the Export Control Reform Act.

U.S. authorities say that between February 2023 and March 2024, the defendants attempted to illegally acquire and export nearly four million dollars’ worth of weapons and ammunition to South Sudan without the required export licenses.

The weapons included missile systems, grenade launchers, machine guns, rifles, and millions of rounds of ammunition.

According to court documents, the weapons were intended for opposition groups seeking to overthrow the South Sudanese government, with plans to install Ajak as president following a coup.

Officials stated that the defendants were aware South Sudan was under an international arms embargo and discussed methods to conceal their activities, including disguising weapons shipments as humanitarian aid and creating false financial documents.

Nearly two million dollars raised for the scheme was seized by U.S. authorities and forfeited as part of the plea agreement.

The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the FBI, and other federal agencies.

U.S. officials say the case highlights ongoing efforts to enforce export control laws and prevent U.S. weapons from being used to destabilize conflict-affected regions.