Sudan’s military has used chemical weapons on at least two occasions against the paramilitary group fighting for control of the country, four senior United States officials said Thursday, according to the New York Times.
The weapons were reportedly recently deployed in remote areas of Sudan and targeted members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which the military has been fighting since April 2023. However, US officials are concerned that the weapons could soon be used in densely populated areas of the capital Khartoum.
The revelations about the use of chemical weapons come as the United States is expected to announce sanctions against Sudan’s Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, for confirmed atrocities by his troops, including indiscriminate bombing of civilians and inducing starvation as a weapon of war.
At this time, it is not clear what kind of chemical weapons were used. Knowledge of the chemical weapons program was limited to a small group within the Sudanese military, two of the US officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity. However, they argued that al-Burhan had authorized their use.
Sudan’s civil war has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with 150,000 dead, more than 11 million displaced and the world’s worst famine in decades.
The United Nations and humanitarian organizations were informed on Wednesday night 1/15 of the impending sanctions against General al-Burhan. The US decision is seen as a major move against a figure seen by some as Sudan’s head of state, who also represents his country at the United Nations.
Aid groups fear that Sudan’s military could respond to the sanctions by further curtailing aid operations in areas that are either starving or on the verge of starvation.
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