"It's not clear to us what are the sanctions supposed to achieve, what's really the aim?" said Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo, whose country is a large contributor to the current 7,000-strong African Union force in Darfur.

Arab League chief Amr Moussa also criticized Bush's announcement, saying "this is not time for sanctions but time for intensifying efforts to reach understanding."

However, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir recently repeated his opposition to direct UN involvement in Darfur peacekeeping, saying the world body should only operate in support of the African Union.

World powers are growing increasingly frustrated with Sudan's dallying on the fine print of a UN deployment.

Sadiq, the Sudanese spokesman, warned that sanctions would "give the wrong signal" to rebel groups fighting in Darfur.

One of the individuals targeted for sanctions is Khalil Ibrahim, the head of the Justice and Equality Movement rebel group that opposes a peace deal signed last year by one rebel faction and the Sudanese government.

The group voiced outrage that Ibrahim was targeted after repeatedly meeting with US officials to find a way out of the conflict.

The US Embassy in Khartoum said the rebel chief was listed because his troops contribute to the ongoing violence. "Meetings notwithstanding ... the US government regards them as obstructing the peace process," said embassy spokesman Joel Maybury.

The two targeted government officials are Awad Ibn Auf, Sudan's head of military intelligence and security, and Ahmed Harun, the minister for humanitarian affairs, the US Treasury Department said.

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