A coalition of political and civil society actors expressed its “deep concern” over US government and global media reports revealing the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in the country's devastating civil war.
Washington has called on the army-backed government in Sudan to acknowledge its use of chemical weapons throughout the conflict and to co-operate with international actors and watchdogs. In May, the US announced it would be imposing sanctions after determining the army-backed government used chemical weapons last year.
An investigation published by France 24 on Saturday said its team of observers studied evidence and open-source intelligence suggesting the army's use of chlorine gas as a weapon while trying to recapture a strategic refinery from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in September.
“The use of chemical weapons is a serious crime and a clear violation of the International Humanitarian Law and the Chemical Weapons Convention, therefore we demand the armed forces to immediately stop their use,” Civil Democratic Alliance for Revolutionary Forces – known as Somoud (resilience) said on Saturday.
It also called on the armed forces to allow the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to carry out their own independent investigations and to “hold those responsible for committing this crime accountable”.
Somoud, led by former prime minister Abdalla Hamdok, is the largest coalition of both political and civil society actors opposed to the war in Sudan and seeks to establish a state based on democracy and justice.
The developments come amid renewed calls for investigations and an end to atrocities committed on all fronts of the war in Sudan.
“The government of Sudan must immediately acknowledge its violations, cease any further use of chemical weapons, and fully co-operate with international investigators,” the State Department said on Wednesday.
The France 24 report traces the use of chlorine gas to companies from Sudan and India. “All evidence suggests the Sudanese army used chlorine to recapture a strategic refinery from the Rapid Support Forces militia,” the report said.
Both companies claimed the purchases had been made for water treatment purposes but “there is no indication that the chlorine barrels were imported for use at Sudanese water-treatment centre”, the report said.
However, there was no response from the armed forces.
The conflict between the RSF and the armed forces has claimed about 150,000 lives since 2023. It has led to famine and claims of genocide in the Darfur region. Both warring parties have been accused of committing war crimes.
The Quad countries – the US, UAE, Egypt and Saudi Arabia – have mapped out a plan for Sudan in September. It centred on a three-month truce, to be followed by a ceasefire and a political process to determine the country’s future leadership.
The RSF unilaterally declared this week a cessation of hostilities in response to the road map. Army chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan has rejected the plan to end the civil war as the “worst” proposal he had seen, before softening his criticism and saying it is up to “relevant authorities” to draft a response.
