US officials say the Sudanese military used chemical weapons twice

The Sudanese military has used chemical weapons on at least two occasions against the paramilitary group fighting for control of the country, four senior US officials said Thursday.

The weapons were recently deployed in remote areas of Sudan, targeting members of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces that the army has been fighting since April 2023. But US officials worry that the weapons could soon be used in densely populated parts of the capital, Khartoum.

The detection of chemical weapons came as did the United States Announced penalties on Thursday against the Sudanese Army Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, over documented atrocities committed by his forces, including the indiscriminate bombing of civilians and the use of… Starvation as a weapon of war.

The use of chemical weapons crosses another border in the war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, its former ally. By many measures, the conflict in Sudan has created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with up to 150,000 people killed, more than 11 million people displaced, and now the world’s worst famine in decades.

“Under Burhan’s leadership, the Sudan Armed Forces’ war tactics included indiscriminate bombing of civilian infrastructure, attacks on schools, markets and hospitals, and extrajudicial executions,” the Treasury said.

Lieutenant General Al-Burhan responded defiantly: “We are ready to face any sanctions in order to serve this country, and we welcome them,” he told reporters during a visit to Al-Jazira State.

The US decision is considered an important step against a figure seen by some as Sudan’s de facto wartime leader, who also represents his country at the United Nations.

Aid groups fear that the Sudanese army may retaliate against the sanctions by imposing further restrictions on relief operations in areas suffering from or sliding towards famine. The decision could also reshape broader relations between Sudan and the United States, whose envoy to Sudan, Tom Perriello, has been a prominent figure in faltering efforts to reach a peace deal.

Although chemical weapons were not mentioned in Thursday’s official sanctions notice, several US officials said they were a key factor in the decision to act against General Burhan.

Two officials familiar with the matter said the chemical weapons appeared to have used chlorine gas. When used as a weapon, chlorine can cause permanent damage to human tissue. In confined spaces it can displace breathable air, leading to suffocation and death.

Two US officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security matters, said knowledge of Sudan’s chemical weapons program is limited to a small group within the country’s military. But it is clear that the Burhan team authorized its use, they said.

Sudan’s ambassador to the United Nations, Al-Harith Idris Al-Harith Muhammad, said in a text message that the Sudanese army “has never used chemical or incendiary weapons.”

He added: “On the contrary, it was the militias that used it,” referring to the Rapid Support Forces.

last week, The United States decided The Rapid Support Forces committed genocide in the war and imposed sanctions on its commander, Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan, for his role in atrocities against his people. The United States also imposed sanctions on seven companies based in the United Arab Emirates that trade weapons or gold for the Rapid Support Forces

The Sudanese army has been accused of using chemical weapons before. In 2016, Amnesty International It said it had credible evidence of at least 30 possible attacks Which led to the killing and maiming of hundreds of people, including children, in the Darfur region, west of the country. The organization published pictures of children covered in wounds and blisters, some of whom were vomiting blood or unable to breathe.

While the United States discussed punitive measures against General Al-Burhan last week, the Sudanese authorities discussed They announced that they would maintain a major aid corridor through neighboring ChadThis is a move that American officials considered an attempt to avoid sanctions.

But several US officials said the evidence of chemical weapons was too convincing to ignore.

Two of the officials said that the United States monitored several chemical weapons tests conducted by Sudanese forces this year, in addition to two cases in the past four months in which the weapons were used against the Rapid Support Forces.

The United States has also obtained intelligence that chemical weapons may soon be used in Bahri, north of Khartoum, where fierce battles have raged in recent months as the two sides vie for control of the capital.

Chlorine was used as a weapon for the first time During World War IIts use in combat is prohibited under international law. In the mid-2000s, Militants in Iraq used chlorine gas as a weapon in attacks on American forces. It has also been used in improvised bombs By ISIS fighters And by the Assad regime in Syria.

Officials familiar with the intelligence said the information did not come from the United Arab Emirates, a US ally and strong supporter of the RSF.

Until Thursday, the Sudanese army was in a high position. Last weekend, its forces It regained control of the main city of Wad Madani, the capital of the breadbasket region in SudanResidents praised the soldiers for ending a year-long occupation under the control of the brutal Rapid Support Forces.

This victory, along with the US accusation of genocide against the RSF, indicates that the Sudanese army is finally gaining momentum in a war that it has recently appeared to be losing.

But in recent days, reports have emerged of fierce reprisals by Sudanese forces against those suspected of collaborating with the RSF in the region, including torture and summary executions. The United Nations said it was “shocked” by these reports He ordered an investigation In killings.

Although the use of chemical weapons was a key element in the decision to impose sanctions on General Burhan on Thursday, the action was also in response to military bombing raids that killed dozens of civilians at once, as well as attacks on hospitals and other buildings protected under the law. Laws of war.

The United States found itself in a dilemma when it came to addressing chemical weapons through sanctions: In order to protect the source and method of intelligence used to determine the use of chemical weapons, the United States did not want to, two US officials said. Officials said they would reveal details about the strikes.

But US officials also wanted to act against General Burhan before the inauguration of President-elect Donald J. Trump on Monday. Under US law, Congress must be notified of discovery of the use of chemical weapons, and officials said members of Congress are expected to be briefed on the issue at a secret hearing next month.

In addition to targeting Lieutenant General Al-Burhan, the sanctions announced on Thursday also targeted a man described as a Sudanese arms supplier, and a company based in Hong Kong. An American official said that the company was used to supply the Sudanese army with Iranian-made drones.

The decision to impose sanctions received mixed reactions among observers of the conflict. John Prendergast, co-founder of the research and investigative group The Sentry, hailed the sanctions as a “decisive” step and called on the European Union to follow suit.

Nathaniel Raymond, executive director of the Human Research Laboratory at the Yale School of Public Health, questioned whether the United States had made the right decision. He added: “It is disturbing that there are no field reports of an incident consistent with the deployment of gas.”

John Ismaili Contributed to reports.