The US delivered its strongest condemnation yet of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) over their use of chemical weapons, demanding immediate international inspections and warning of further consequences if the military-backed government fails to comply.
The move comes as the US confirmed a second round of sanctions against the Port Sudan-based authorities after determining they had failed to meet the conditions required to return to compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention.
In a statement delivered to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Executive Council during its 112th session in The Hague, the US said its "rigorous, independent technical analysis" had concluded that the SAF used chemical weapons in 2024 and the government remained in non-compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2025.
"The prohibition on the use of chemical weapons is absolute and non-negotiable," said the US delegation led by Ambassador Nicole Shampaine during the week-long meetings.
Washington urged Sudan's military-backed government to begin the process of returning to compliance by submitting a comprehensive declaration to the OPCW's Technical Secretariat detailing any chemical weapons, related facilities and programmes.
It called for inspectors to be granted immediate, transparent and unrestricted access to conduct on-site verification.
The US rejected the government's decision to establish a national technical committee to investigate the allegations, saying domestic mechanisms could not replace independent international verification.
"Domestic bureaucratic mechanisms are not a substitute for treaty compliance and independent verification," the delegation affirmed. It added that the US had not sent investigators to Sudan or directed any internal inquiry, but had instead shared its assessment with Sudanese authorities and urged them to fulfil their obligations under the convention.
The war in Sudan began in April 2023 when tensions between Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan and Support Forces commander Gen Mohamed Dagalo erupted into fighting. Both have been sanctioned for alleged war crimes.
In April last year, Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined that the government of Sudan had used chemical weapons in violation of international law during 2024. The determination was announced publicly by the State Department, after Congress had been notified, triggering an initial package of sanctions that included the suspension of most US foreign assistance, a ban on arms sales, the termination of foreign military financing and restrictions on US government financial support.
Because Washington concluded that Sudan had failed to meet the legal conditions required to return to compliance, a second round of sanctions entered into force last June. Those measures include expanded export restrictions, US opposition to loans and financial assistance from international financial institutions, and additional financial and aviation-related restrictions under US law.
Referring to new measures, the US delegation told the OPCW Executive Council that Sudan's continued failure to comply with the Chemical Weapons Convention "has consequences" and confirmed that Washington had imposed a second round of sanctions as required by US legislation.
The US also questioned Sudan's continued role on the OPCW Executive Council, arguing that a state party that has used chemical weapons and failed to return to compliance should not be involved in guiding the organisation's decisions.
"The credibility of our institution is at risk," the delegation said, calling on member states to elect only countries that are in "full, verifiable compliance" with their obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention.
Sudan's military-backed authority has denied allegations that the SAF used chemical weapons during the conflict with the Rapid Support Forces.
The latest accusations mark Washington's strongest diplomatic push within the OPCW since formally determining last year that Sudan had violated the Chemical Weapons Convention.
The US, EU and UK have already imposed dozens of sanctions on senior Sudanese military and paramilitary officials they accuse of war crimes and atrocities.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed during nearly three years of conflict, and more than 12 million have been displaced. The country is suffering one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with nearly half the population – about 25 million people – facing hunger.
In March, the Department of State announced that it had designated the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation due to its role in widespread violence against civilians during the war, as it grew its ties with the SAF and high-ranking military officials.
Gen Al Burhan has resisted mediation offers by regional and international powers, while Gen Dagalo appears to be more open to negotiations, although his stance is widely suspected to be motivated by a desire to gain legitimacy.
