HomeGlobal NewsChemical Weapons in Sudan: Al-Burhan’s Government Must Be Held Accountable

Chemical Weapons in Sudan: Al-Burhan’s Government Must Be Held Accountable

September 4, 2026

The United States formally determined that the Sudanese government used chemical weapons in 2024. This official finding places General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan’s government and the Sudanese Armed Forces under growing international pressure to cooperate with an independent investigation and establish who was responsible.

The use of chemical weapons in Sudan cannot be treated as diplomatic speculation or allowed to disappear from the international agenda.

In May 2025, the United States Department of State formally announced that Washington had determined that the Government of Sudan used chemical weapons during 2024, in violation of international law.

That determination was subsequently placed on the official US legal record. A notice published in the Federal Register on June 27, 2025 states that the Government of Sudan used chemical weapons in violation of international law.

This was not an informal accusation made by an activist organisation or an unverified claim circulated on social media. It was a formal determination by the US government under American legislation governing responses to the use of chemical and biological weapons. The United States consequently imposed restrictions on certain exports to Sudan and on the country’s access to US government credit assistance.

Responsibility under Al-Burhan’s leadership

Sudan’s army-backed authorities and the Sudanese Armed Forces operate under the leadership of General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan.

The publicly available American documents do not state that Al-Burhan personally ordered a chemical attack. They do, however, attribute the use of chemical weapons to the Government of Sudan during a war conducted by armed forces under his command.

This places a serious political and command responsibility on Al-Burhan’s government to explain what happened, disclose the relevant military records, identify the units involved and cooperate fully with an independent international investigation.

A government cannot demand international recognition while refusing accountability for the conduct of forces acting under its authority. The burden is now on Al-Burhan’s administration to provide credible and verifiable answers.

Washington says its conclusion followed careful study

The United States later reinforced its position in an official statement delivered to the Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

In that statement, Washington said its determination had been reached following “careful study.” It described the sanctions as an initial step towards holding the Sudanese government accountable and called on Sudan to address any violations and work with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, or OPCW.

The significance of this statement should not be minimised. The United States formally presented its determination before the international organisation responsible for implementing the Chemical Weapons Convention.

Sudan is a State Party to that Convention and is therefore bound by its prohibition on developing, producing, acquiring, stockpiling or using chemical weapons under any circumstances.

What the public evidence establishes

The public record establishes that the United States officially determined that the Sudanese government used chemical weapons in 2024 and subsequently imposed measures in response.

The publicly available US documents do not identify the chemical agent involved. They also do not disclose the precise locations and dates of the attacks or publish the intelligence and technical evidence underlying Washington’s conclusion.

Separate reports have suggested that chlorine gas may have been used by the Sudanese Armed Forces against the Rapid Support Forces in areas where civilians were also present. Because the official American documents do not publicly identify the substance, the reported use of chlorine must continue to be presented as an allegation unless and until it is confirmed through an independent technical investigation.

This distinction does not weaken the case for accountability. On the contrary, it demonstrates why the underlying evidence must be preserved, independently examined and, wherever possible, made public.

The Sudanese authorities have rejected the US determination and called for the supporting evidence to be disclosed. Their denial must be reported, but it does not erase the existence or seriousness of the formal American finding.

A broader record of alleged abuses

The chemical-weapons determination did not emerge in isolation.

On January 16, 2025, the US Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, identifying him as the leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces.

The Treasury accused forces under his leadership of carrying out lethal attacks against civilians, including airstrikes on schools, markets, hospitals and other protected infrastructure. It also accused the Sudanese Armed Forces of intentionally obstructing humanitarian assistance and using food deprivation as a method of warfare.

The January sanctions were distinct from the chemical-weapons-related measures announced in May 2025. Taken together, however, they reveal a broader pattern of serious official accusations concerning the conduct of forces operating under Al-Burhan’s command.

The chemical-weapons file must therefore be examined as part of the wider question of command responsibility and accountability within the Sudanese Armed Forces.

Sanctions cannot replace an investigation

The measures adopted by Washington created an official record, but sanctions alone cannot establish the complete truth or identify every person responsible.

A credible international investigation must determine:

Which chemical substances were used;
Where and when they were deployed;
Which military units possessed and delivered them;
Who authorised, supervised or knew about their use;
Whether civilians were exposed, injured or killed;
Whether officials attempted to conceal, remove or destroy evidence;
How far responsibility extends through the military and political chain of command.

Medical records, environmental samples, military documents, photographs, videos and witness testimony must be collected and preserved according to recognised evidentiary standards.

Witnesses, victims and medical professionals must also be protected against intimidation and retaliation.

The OPCW must be allowed to investigate

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is the international body with the expertise and mandate necessary to examine allegations involving chemical-weapons use.

Al-Burhan’s government should provide the OPCW and any other authorised independent mechanism with access to relevant locations, witnesses, medical information, military records and physical evidence.

If the Sudanese authorities believe that the American determination is incorrect, full and transparent cooperation with an independent investigation is the most credible way to challenge it.

Refusing access, delaying cooperation or withholding evidence would only deepen international concern about the conduct of the Sudanese government and armed forces.

Sudanese civilians must be protected

The war that began in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces has produced one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

Millions of people have been displaced. Health services have collapsed across large parts of Sudan. Communities face acute hunger and the threat of famine, while both sides have been accused of committing serious violations against civilians.

The crimes attributed to one side cannot justify the conduct of the other. Accountability must apply to the Sudanese Armed Forces, the Rapid Support Forces and their respective allies without selectivity.

The possible exposure of civilians to chemical agents makes an independent investigation especially urgent. The consequences of toxic substances may continue long after an attack, affecting survivors, medical workers, surrounding communities and the environment.

The international community must ensure that the victims of Sudan’s war are not reduced to collateral evidence in a conflict conducted without effective accountability.

Al-Burhan’s government must provide answers

The central fact is clear: the United States formally determined that the Sudanese government used chemical weapons in 2024.

The remaining questions concern the substance used, the locations of the attacks, the victims, the operational units involved and the officials responsible for authorising, facilitating or tolerating such conduct.

Al-Burhan’s government cannot credibly claim sovereign authority while avoiding scrutiny over actions officially attributed to forces under its command.

International recognition carries international obligations. Those obligations include protecting civilians, respecting the Chemical Weapons Convention, preserving evidence and cooperating with legitimate investigations.

Accountability is not an obstacle to peace. It is necessary to prevent chemical warfare and other prohibited methods from becoming normal instruments of the Sudanese conflict.

The chemical-weapons file must remain open until the facts have been independently established and those responsible have been identified.

Official sources and supporting documents