US says Sudan military used chemical weapons against rebel force as it sanctions army chief
Originally published by The New York Times
Sudan’s military has used chemical weapons on at least two occasions against the paramilitary group it is battling for control of the country, four senior United States officials said on Thursday.
The weapons were deployed recently in remote areas of Sudan, and targeted members of the Rapid Support Forces paramilitaries that the army has been fighting since April 2023. But U.S. officials worry the weapons could soon be used in densely populated parts of the capital, Khartoum.
The revelations about chemical weapons came as the United States announced sanctions on Thursday against the Sudanese military chief, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, for documented atrocities by his troops, including indiscriminate bombing of civilians and the use of starvation as a weapon of war.
The use of chemical weapons crosses yet another boundary in the war between the Sudanese military and the R.S.F., its former ally. By many measures, the conflict in Sudan has created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with as many as 150,000 people killed, over 11 million displaced and now the world’s worst famine in decades.
“Under Burhan’s leadership, the S.A.F.’s war tactics have included indiscriminate bombing of civilian infrastructure, attacks on schools, markets, and hospitals, and extrajudicial executions,” the Treasury Department said, using an acronym for Sudan’s armed forces.
General al-Burhan responded with defiance: “We are ready to face any sanctions for the sake of serving this nation, and we welcome them,” he told reporters during a visit to El Gezira state.
The U.S. decision is considered a significant move against a figure seen by some as Sudan’s de facto wartime leader, who also represents his country at the United Nations.
Although chemical weapons were not mentioned in the official sanctions notice on Thursday, several U.S. officials said they were a key factor in the decision to move against General al-Burhan.
Two officials briefed on the matter said the chemical weapons appeared to use chlorine gas. When used as a weapon, chlorine can cause lasting damage to human tissue. In confined spaces it can displace breathable air, leading to suffocation and death.
Knowledge of the chemical weapons program in Sudan was limited to a small group inside the country’s military, two of the U.S. officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security matters. But it was clear that General al-Burhan had authorized their use, they said.
Sudan’s ambassador to the United Nations, Al-Harith Idriss al-Harith Mohamed, said in a text message that Sudan’s military had “never used chemical or incendiary weapons.”
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