United States has announced a new wave of sanctions against Sudan, set to take effect on June 6, following allegations that the Sudanese military used chemical weapons during the 2024 phase of its brutal civil war against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). This decision was confirmed in a statement released State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce, who underscored violations of international agreements, specifically the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).
As part of the sanctions, it exports to Sudan will be curtailed, and it will face new restrictions on financial transactions involving American financial institutions. These measures aim to pressure the Sudanese government to comply with global norms prohibiting the use of chemical agents in warfare.
Although no direct evidence has been publicly released, reports from The New York Times in January 2025 indicated that chlorine gas was allegedly used by Sudanese forces in two separate incidents in remote areas of the country. Chlorine gas, while commercially available for industrial purposes, can cause suffocation, severe lung damage, and death when weaponized.
Bruce stated, “The United States calls on the government of Sudan to cease all chemical weapons use and uphold its obligations under the CWC.” She emphasized it commitment to halting the proliferation of chemical weapons and holding violators accountable.
Sudan’s government has vigorously denied the charges, calling them “baseless claims with no supporting evidence.” Khalid Al-Ayesir, Sudan’s Minister of Culture and Information, criticized the actions as “political blackmail,” alleging that Washington was fabricating narratives to shield what he referred to as “illegitimate actors” involved in atrocities against the Sudanese people.
US sanctions Sudan over alleged chemical weapons deployment amid escalating humanitarian crisis
He further drew comparisons to the controversial 1998 Al-Shifa pharmaceutical factory bombing, when it accused Sudan of manufacturing chemical weapons tied to Osama Bin Laden’s network. That strike was later widely criticized, and Washington eventually lifted asset freezes on the factory’s owner—an action many viewed as a quiet admission of insufficient evidence.
The civil war in Sudan, which erupted in April 2023, has become one of the world’s most dire humanitarian crises. The fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF has led to the deaths of over 150,000 people, displaced nearly 12 million, and left an estimated 25 million in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
Despite retaking the capital city Khartoum in recent months, Sudan’s military continues to clash with RSF factions in various parts of the country. Both sides have been accused of war crimes, including attacks on civilians, use of starvation as a weapon, and ethnic massacres—allegations both the SAF and RSF deny.
In January 2025, sanctions were imposed on military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohammed Hamdan Daglo (Hemedti), who was accused of genocide by then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
While the newly announced measures send a strong political signal, experts believe their economic impact may be limited due to Sudan’s ongoing international isolation. The move nevertheless reflects a broader Western effort to isolate actors linked to grave human rights abuses.
The sanctions also come amid rising tensions between Washington and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which she accuses of arming the RSF—a charge the UAE denies. Some Democratic lawmakers in Congress have proposed restrictions on arms sales to the UAE in response.
A Sudanese diplomatic source told Reuters that the timing of the latest actions appears politically motivated, aimed at “distracting from the recent campaign in Congress against the UAE.”
Ultimately, it has reiterated its opposition to chemical warfare and affirmed its commitment to international norms. Whether these steps will lead to meaningful change in Sudan remains uncertain, as the conflict and humanitarian crisis continue to escalate.
Source- BBC
