May 29 (Reuters) - The United States tightened its sanctions against Sudan on Tuesday in hopes of putting additional pressure on the government of Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir to end the bloodshed in Darfur.

New measures block the assets of Sudanese individuals, including two high-ranking government officials, for their alleged roles in fomenting violence and human rights abuses in the Darfur region.

The action brings to seven the number of Sudanese individuals denied access to the U.S. financial system under an executive order aimed to combat human rights abuses in western Sudan.

Thirty-one companies owned or controlled by the Sudanese government were also barred from the U.S. financial system and from doing business with American companies or individuals.

Following is a partial list of targeted Sudanese individuals and companies identified by the U.S. Treasury Department.

INDIVIDUALS:

* Ahmad Muhammed Harun, Sudan's state minister for humanitarian affairs: Harun played a central role in coordinating and planning military operations in Darfur between 2003 and 2005 while serving as state minister for the interior, the Treasury Department said. In the 1990s, he was responsible for massacres in the Nuba Mountains and was nicknamed "the Butcher of Nuba," the department added. Harun has been accused of war crimes in Darfur by the International Criminal Court in the Hague.

* Awad Ibn Auf, Sudan's head of military intelligence and security: Like Harun, Auf acted as a liaison between the Sudanese government and the Janjaweed militia accused of attacking and brutalizing innocent civilians in Darfur, the Treasury said. Auf and Harun provided the Janjaweed with logistical support and have directed attacks, it said.

* Khalil Ibrahim, leader of the Justice and Equality Movement, or JEM, a rebel group that has refused to sign the Darfur Peace Agreement: The Treasury Department blamed JEM for violence and suffering in Darfur and said Ibrahim is personally responsible for rebel activity aimed at further destabilizing the region.

COMPANIES:

* GIAD Industrial City, which the Treasury said has supplied armored vehicles to the Sudanese government for military operations in Darfur.

* Sudatel, the national telecommunications company.

* Five petrochemical companies: Advanced Petroleum Co., RAM Energy Co., Bashaier, Hi-Tech Petroleum Group and Hi-Tech Chemicals.

* Azza Air Transport Co., which the Treasury accused of transferring small arms, ammunition and artillery to Sudanese government forces and Janjaweed militia in Darfur.

AlertNet news is provided by