US imposes sanctions on Sudan over alleged use of chemical weapons in civil war
In a more detailed response, Sudan’s Culture and Information Minister Khalid Al-Ayesir said the US had resorted to “political blackmail” and accused it of promoting a “fabricated narrative... to mislead international opinion and offer political cover to illegitimate actors complicit in crimes against the Sudanese people.”
The United States has announced new sanctions against Sudan, accusing its military of using chemical weapons last year in the ongoing civil war with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
According to a statement from the US State Department, restrictions on exports and financial borrowing will take effect from June 6.
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“The United States calls on the government of Sudan to cease all chemical weapons use and uphold its obligations under the CWC. The CWC refers to the Chemical Weapons Convention, which Sudan has signed,” reads a statement from spokesperson Tammy Bruce.
Sudan’s government has dismissed the claims as untrue. A government spokesperson called the accusations “baseless claims with no supporting evidence.”
In a more detailed response, Sudan’s Culture and Information Minister Khalid Al-Ayesir said the US had resorted to “political blackmail” and accused it of promoting a “fabricated narrative... to mislead international opinion and offer political cover to illegitimate actors complicit in crimes against the Sudanese people.”
The US did not give details of the chemical agents it says were used. However, the New York Times earlier reported that Sudan’s military had used chlorine gas in two incidents last year in unnamed remote areas.
No visual proof of these attacks has been released.
Khalid Al-Ayesir also referred to the 1998 US bombing of the Al-Shifa pharmaceutical factory in Sudan, which Washington at the time claimed was linked to chemical weapons and Osama Bin Laden’s network. Sudan has always denied those claims, and the US later lifted asset freezes on the factory's owner, a move viewed by many as an acknowledgement of insufficient evidence.
The war between Sudan’s army and the RSF began two years ago and has resulted in over 150,000 deaths. Both groups have been accused of war crimes, which they deny. The conflict has displaced around 12 million people and left 25 million in need of food aid.
Despite the Sudanese military regaining control of Khartoum in recent months, fighting continues in other areas. The head of the RSF, Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, was earlier accused of genocide by former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The RSF denied the claim.
The US has previously sanctioned leaders from both sides. Sudan’s army leader, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, was accused of undermining democratic transition efforts, a move the Sudanese foreign ministry described as “strange and troubling.”
The new sanctions come amid rising tensions between Sudan and the United Arab Emirates. Sudan recently accused the UAE of arming the RSF, which the UAE denies.
A Sudanese diplomatic source told Reuters the sanctions were aimed at shifting attention away from a campaign in the US Congress to block arms sales to the UAE following President Donald Trump’s recent visit to the Gulf state.
Earlier this month, Sudan lost a case at the UN’s top court in which it tried to sue the UAE for genocide.
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