‘France 24 corroborates US claims of Sudan chemical weapons use’

A France 24 investigation published yesterday, found that the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) used chlorine gas during two airstrikes on the El Jeili oil refinery northeast of Khartoum and its surroundings in September 2024, while attempting to retake the area from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

In their report, the Observers team in Paris analysed photos and videos from the sites using open-source techniques. Five chemical weapons experts confirmed that the attacks were consistent with chlorine barrel bombs, a weapon only the SAF can deploy by air.

They also alleged that one chlorine shipment was traced to a Sudanese company importing the chemical from India for “water purification”.

The use of chlorine gas breaches Sudan’s commitments under the 1999 Chemical Weapons Convention and may constitute a war crime under the Rome Statute. The SAF and Sudanese government declined France 24’s requests for comment.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has affirmed that recent evidence of chemical weapons use by the Sudanese army aligns with earlier US allegations in May 2024. 

The US State Department formally accused Sudan’s government of breaching international law during its ongoing war with the RSF on May 22, 2025, citing chlorine gas attacks in 2024 as documented in Congressional reports. 

In an article published yesterday by HRW’s Crisis and Conflict Director Ida Sawyer, she described the findings as providing “the first public confirmation” of these claims and called for an independent international inquiry, urging full cooperation from all member states of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

Sudan initially dismissed the State Department’s accusations as politically motivated following the United States’ chemical weapons determination, with officials claiming the US and its regional allies, including the UAE, are misrepresenting the facts.

Head of the Sovereignty Council and Commander-in-Chief of the SAF, Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, has since formed a committee to investigate the veracity of the US’s claims. 

The committee, which includes representatives from key ministries and intelligence bodies, has been instructed to report its findings immediately. 

Officials stated that the move reflects Sudan’s commitment to international treaties and rejected Washington’s allegations as baseless.

As a party to the Chemical Weapons Convention, Sudan faces serious diplomatic and legal pressure, highlighting the tension between ongoing military operations and the country’s international obligations.

‘Chemical agents used by RSF’

In North Darfur’s capital, El Fasher, the Resistance Committees accused the RSF in a statement earlier this week of using drones to drop “strange projectiles” that emitted strong, unusual odours in residential areas. They cited medical sources reporting symptoms consistent with exposure to toxic or irritant chemicals.

Radio Dabanga has not been able to independently verify these reports.