US Imposes Fresh Sanctions On Sudan Over Alleged Chemical Weapons Use

The United States on Monday imposed a fresh round of sanctions on Sudan’s army-aligned government, accusing it of using chemical weapons during its conflict with the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The latest measures come after the US State Department concluded last year that Sudan violated the Chemical Weapons Convention by deploying chemical weapons in 2024. Sudan ratified the treaty in 1999.

Although Washington has not publicly disclosed where or when the alleged attacks occurred, international media reports have linked the accusations to the use of chlorine gas during the ongoing conflict.

The new sanctions, which took effect on Monday, further restrict Sudan’s access to US financing and exports while also prohibiting Sudan-owned airlines from operating in US airspace.

Khartoum has consistently rejected the allegations, describing them as “baseless” and dismissing them as politically motivated.

The civil war between Sudan’s military and the RSF, which erupted in April 2023, has triggered widespread allegations of war crimes. The United States has also sanctioned RSF commanders over atrocities, including accusations of genocide in the Darfur region.

Reports by The New York Times and France 24 last year alleged that the Sudanese military used chlorine gas in at least two incidents during the conflict.

According to The New York Times, which cited anonymous senior US officials, the chemical agent used was chlorine and its deployment was allegedly approved by Sudan’s army chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

A separate investigation by France 24 reported that two barrels of chlorine gas were dropped from aircraft around the al-Jaili oil refinery north of Khartoum in September 2024, when the facility was under RSF control.

The Sudanese military has previously faced similar allegations. In 2016, Amnesty International accused government forces and allied militias of using chemical weapons against civilians in Darfur, an allegation the government denied.

US-Sudan relations have been marked by decades of sanctions. Restrictions first imposed in the 1990s were strengthened in 2006 over alleged genocide in Darfur.

Following the 2019 overthrow of former president Omar al-Bashir, Washington removed Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism and eased some sanctions. However, several restrictions were reinstated after the 2021 military coup led by Burhan and his then-deputy, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, popularly known as Hemeti.

By January 2025, the US had imposed sanctions on both Burhan and Hemeti as the conflict intensified.

The war has since evolved into what the United Nations describes as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Aid agencies estimate that more than 200,000 people have been killed, while nearly 20 million face acute food insecurity.

Despite repeated diplomatic efforts by Washington, including ceasefire negotiations with Saudi Arabia and proposals for humanitarian truces, attempts to end the conflict have failed, with both sides continuing to pursue a military victory.