The Sudanese war, ongoing since mid-April 2023, has witnessed numerous violations documented by the United Nations and Human Rights Watch—some classified as war crimes.

These violations include indiscriminate airstrikes on markets and civilian gatherings, extrajudicial killings, ethnic cleansing, and summary executions.

Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs on Wednesday urged the Port Sudan government to immediately acknowledge what it described as violations involving the use of chemical weapons.

It called on the authorities to halt any further use of such weapons and to fully cooperate with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in addressing the violations.

The Bureau stated on 26 November 2025 that the United States had submitted a formal demarche on the matter, stressing that continued use of these weapons constitutes a grave breach of international law, endangers civilians, and undermines efforts to resolve the Sudanese crisis.

This came after the U.S. ambassador to the OPCW confirmed in October that Washington’s accusations regarding the Port Sudan army’s use of chemical weapons since mid-April 2023 were based on strong evidence.
Chad had earlier issued an official memorandum to the OPCW demanding an investigation into the Sudanese army’s use of banned weapons.

Official Sanctions
In May 2025, the United States imposed sanctions on Sudan after confirming that the army aligned with Abdel Fattah al-Burhan had used chemical weapons.

The action was taken under the 1991 Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act, which mandates immediate sanctions as well as phased punitive measures, according to the U.S. State Department.

The direct sanctions include halting non-humanitarian aid, prohibiting licenses for the sale of weapons or dual-use technologies, suspending export support, and banning loans or credits from U.S. banks to the Sudanese government—except for food and agriculture.

More severe sanctions may follow after 90 days if the army leadership fails to comply with specific conditions set by the U.S. administration.

These include blocking Sudan’s access to international financing by opposing loans from the World Bank and IMF, creating potential diplomatic isolation by reducing or suspending U.S. representation, and formally prohibiting Sudanese airlines from using U.S. airspace.

The New York Times reported in January 2025, quoting four U.S. sources, that the Port Sudan army used chemical weapons at least twice against Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The report noted that knowledge of Sudan’s chemical weapons program is restricted to a small circle within the army, and that al-Burhan personally authorized their use. It added that the weapons were employed in remote areas against RSF fighters, and U.S. officials fear their use in heavily populated areas of Khartoum.

Confirmed Evidence
In September 2025, the Emergency Lawyers group accused the Port Sudan Air Force of using chemical weapons during airstrikes on the city of Nyala in Darfur.

The group said the airstrikes turned the city into a “widely contaminated zone,” triggering widespread cases of suffocation, respiratory distress, chest infections, asthma, and skin lesions—symptoms consistent with exposure to internationally banned chlorine gas.

The report relied on testimonies from residents who reported unusual inflammatory symptoms and “an increase in miscarriages and fetal deformities.”

A doctor at a Nyala hospital said local facilities receive daily cases suspected of chemical contamination, noting that medical teams at the Turkish and Italian hospitals began conducting lab tests on patients’ clothing after noticing skin lesions on those admitted immediately after airstrikes.

Test results confirmed the presence of chlorine—a substance classified as a chemical weapon under international law.

A new investigation by France 24 presented the first public evidence supporting U.S. allegations, pointing to the likelihood of chlorine use in two incidents in September 2024.

Human Rights Watch stated on 9 October 2025 that chlorine—though a common industrial chemical—is prohibited as a weapon under the Chemical Weapons Convention, to which Sudan is a party.

It said exposure to chlorine or its compounds can cause symptoms ranging from irritation to respiratory failure and death, adding that its use as a weapon constitutes a serious violation of the Convention and a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

The organization stressed that all states party to the Convention should support a transparent investigation by the OPCW’s Technical Secretariat, including through a challenge inspection. It urged the United States to publish the evidence underlying its sanctions on al-Burhan.

No Change in Position
Despite all this, Port Sudan’s army commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan continues to reject any humanitarian truce that could ease a crisis affecting millions of Sudanese civilians.

The Quad countries—the United States, the UAE, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia—continue to push proposals welcomed by the Sudanese public, calling for a three-month cease-fire as a prelude to civilian governance.

But al-Burhan rejected the proposal, accusing mediators of “bias” in their efforts to end the war. “If mediation proceeds in this direction, we will consider it non-neutral,” he said.

He also criticized U.S. presidential adviser Massad Boulos, saying: “We fear that Boulos may become an obstacle to the peace sought by all Sudanese people”—a claim Boulos dismissed.

Ongoing International Efforts
Despite al-Burhan’s renewed rejection of a cease-fire, IGAD’s special envoy to Sudan, Lawrence Korbandi, announced that the organization is conducting intensive and continuous consultations with Sudanese parties and the Quad to achieve a cease-fire.

He affirmed that negotiations are the best path to ending the catastrophic consequences of the war.

In an interview with Sudan Tribune on 26 November 2025, he categorically denied claims that regional actors had sidelined IGAD from the Sudan file, calling such assertions “untrue.”

He announced ongoing preparations to resume Sudanese political dialogue, noting that meetings with political forces and Sudanese actors continue, and that IGAD will soon hold discussions with political blocs and civil society groups—youth and women—that have not yet been engaged.

He said IGAD’s contacts with the army and the RSF “have never ceased,” and emphasized that the organization is working to bridge the gap between the two sides.