US steps up pressure on Sudan govt over chemical weapons allegations

Tensions between Washington and the Sudanese government have intensified after the de facto Sudanese government refused to engage with the Quartet, led by the United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the UAE, to end the war in Sudan. In response, analyst and political scientist Dr Abdelwahab El Tayeb El Bashir argues that the US has revived allegations of chemical weapons use as a key pressure tool against the Port Sudan administration.

The US State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs said in a post on its account on X last week on Wednesday, that “the Government of Sudan must immediately acknowledge its violations, halt any further use of chemical weapons, and fully cooperate with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).”

It stressed that “any further use of chemical weapons must stop” and reiterated that Washington’s findings were based on a “careful analysis” carried out earlier this year.

Earlier this year in May, the US State Department has sanctioned Sudan, determining that its government violated the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) through the alleged use of chemical weapons, including chlorine gas, during its conflict with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in 2024. 

“This determination was delivered to Congress today,” said Tammy Bruce in her statement, spokesperson for the Department, “along with an addendum to the April 15, 2025, Condition 10(C) Report on Compliance with the CWC that finds the Government of Sudan in non-compliance with the CWC, to which it is a party.”

Sanctions followed in June, restricting US exports to Sudan and blocking access to US government credit. Washington described the use of chemical agents as “unacceptable” and in violation of the CWC.

A France 24 investigation published in October also 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 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”.

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.

Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, head of the Sovereignty Council and commander-in-chief of the SAF, announced the formation of a national committee to investigate US allegations that the SAF used chemical weapons during the ongoing conflict. The committee, announced in May, comprising representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence and the General Intelligence Service, has been tasked with submitting its findings “immediately.”

The Foreign Ministry said the move reflects Sudan’s commitment to international treaties, including the Chemical Weapons Convention, while firmly rejecting what it called baseless US accusations. 

Ministers condemned the sanctions, with Culture and Information Minister Khaled Aleiser dismissing them as “political blackmail and falsification of the facts” and insisting they were unsupported by evidence. But Washington insisted that “stated commitments are not enough”.

‘US politics and regional pressures’

In an interview with Radio Dabanga yesterday, political scientist Dr Abdelwahab El Tayeb El Bashir said the US sanctions carry strong political weight and are linked to the de facto government’s refusal to engage in Quartet talks, which the RSF and its commander, Lt Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), have already endorsed last week in an announcement, with Hemedti calling the ceasefire “a national responsibility.” 

“These sanctions reflect America’s domestic pressures and the interests of its regional allies,” El Bashir said, pointing to countries including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, the UAE, Ethiopia, and Kenya. 

He stressed that the sanctions were issued under US law not through the OPCW and are based on intelligence assessments rather than internationally verified evidence.

El Bashir argued that Washington has not presented field data such as samples, laboratory analysis, or clear information about where and when the alleged chemical attacks occurred. “This weakens the legal and international legitimacy of the decision and makes it appear unilateral,” he said.

He added that Washington’s aim is partly deterrence, saying that “the US wants to send a strong message to the Sudanese army and its allies that chemical weapons cross a red line.”

The political scientist noted that the sanctions are unlikely to alter the military balance. “They freeze assets, restrict financial transactions, and impose travel bans, but they do not affect weapons procurement. Their main effect is economic pressure on the government and army to push them towards negotiations.”

‘RSF systematic attacks on healthcare facilities’

A Reuters investigation published on Friday, found that the RSF has carried out a sustained campaign to dismantle health services in El Fasher, capital of North Darfur.

Based on satellite imagery and interviews with doctors and aid workers, the investigation documented at least 130 attacks on health facilities, 71 per cent attributed to RSF, and at least 40 health workers killed.

Medical staff described drone strikes, executions, and hospitals reduced to ruins. The Saudi Hospital, the city’s last functioning facility, came under near-daily attack. Doctors said they performed surgeries in foxholes and private homes to evade drones.

An army official denied that the SAF attacked medical facilities, insisting the army had defended civilians before the RSF seized the city.

The situation in El Fasher has deteriorated sharply since the RSF took control in late October. Reports have emerged of killings, sexual violence, and mass displacement. 

Thousands have fled along the so-called “Road of Death” towards Tawila, 60km away. The UN reports that civilians face extreme hunger, thirst, and repeated abuses as they attempt to escape.