NAIROBI — The United States has accused Sudan of using chemical weapons in its ongoing civil war, prompting a fresh wave of sanctions that could further isolate the country’s embattled government.
The sanctions, announced on Thursday by State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce, will take effect from 6 June. They include a ban on U.S. exports to Sudan and new limits on financial borrowing.
The move comes amid worsening conditions in Sudan, where fighting between the national army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has devastated communities and displaced millions.
“The United States calls on the government of Sudan to cease all chemical weapons use and uphold its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention,” Bruce said in a written statement.
No specific agents were listed in the U.S. announcement, but a report in January alleged Sudan had deployed chlorine gas on at least two occasions. Chlorine gas can cause severe respiratory damage and is potentially lethal.
The U.S. joins other international observers in raising concerns about war crimes committed by both sides in the conflict, which erupted in April 2023. More than 150,000 people have been killed and roughly 12 million displaced, according to U.N. estimates. A further 25 million people now require humanitarian assistance more than half the country’s population.
The Sudanese government has yet to respond to the U.S. allegations. Officials in Khartoum said they are preparing a formal statement.
Sudan is a signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which prohibits the use, development or stockpiling of such arms. Only three nations Egypt, North Korea and South Sudan remain outside the treaty. Israel has signed but not ratified it.
In the same statement, Bruce said the U.S. “remains fully committed to hold to account those responsible for contributing to chemical weapons proliferation.”
These are not the first sanctions the U.S. has imposed on Sudan during the conflict. In January, Washington targeted key leaders on both sides. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the military leader, was accused of blocking democratic reforms. The foreign ministry at the time called the U.S. move “strange and troubling.”
His rival, RSF leader Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo commonly known as Hemedti was accused by former Secretary of State Antony Blinken of committing genocide. Hemedti and the RSF deny all such claims.
Despite the international outcry, the conflict has dragged on. The army recently regained control of Khartoum, but clashes continue in other regions. Aid groups warn the humanitarian situation is spiralling out of control.
Meanwhile, a new geopolitical fault line is emerging. The Sudanese government this month accused the United Arab Emirates of supplying weapons to the RSF an allegation the UAE flatly denies.
The timing of the U.S. sanctions has raised eyebrows. A Sudanese diplomat, speaking anonymously, suggested the move was an attempt “to distract from the recent campaign in Congress against the UAE.” Last week, Democrats in Washington moved to block a planned arms sale to the UAE, citing its alleged involvement in Sudan.
Earlier this month, Sudan tried and failed to sue the UAE for genocide at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. The case was dismissed.
As Sudan sinks deeper into war, with chemical weapons now in the spotlight, the U.S. is tightening the screws. Whether sanctions will alter the course of the conflict remains to be seen.
