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 use come as the United States is expected to announce sanctions 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 war 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.
The United Nations, allied nations and aid groups were notified on Wednesday night about the impending sanctions against General al-Burhan. The U.S. decision is considered a significant 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 retaliate against the sanctions decision by further restricting aid operations in areas that are either in famine or sliding toward it.
It was not immediately clear what type of chemical weapons were used. Knowledge of the chemical weapons program was limited to a small group inside Sudan’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.
The sanctions come a week after the United States determined that the Rapid Support forces had committed genocide in the war, and imposed sanctions on its leader, Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan, for his role in atrocities against his own people. The United States also sanctioned seven companies based in the United Arab Emirates that traded in weapons or gold for the R.S.F.