Sudan’s military is facing renewed international scrutiny following the emergence of a detailed intelligence dossier that appears to strengthen allegations that its forces developed chlorine-based chemical weapons for use against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces during the country’s devastating civil war.
The material, shared with The New York Times by a Middle Eastern intelligence agency, includes photographs, videos, documents and intercepted communications that purportedly describe the development and testing of chlorine-based munitions by a secretive Sudanese military unit in 2024.
The dossier contains designs for bombs, details of weapons tests and evidence of an alleged attempt to conceal the programme after it came to the attention of the United States.
The Sudanese military has strongly denied allegations that it used chemical weapons, describing the claims as baseless. Independent, on-the-ground verification of all elements of the dossier remains difficult because of the continuing war.
Documents Detail Alleged Secret Programme
According to the material reviewed by The New York Times, the alleged programme involved developing explosive munitions containing chlorine gas.
The dossier suggests the project was overseen by senior military personnel and included tests conducted in the Sudanese desert.
One prototype reportedly combined an explosive warhead with about 15 kilograms of chlorine gas.
Communications contained in the dossier indicated that a test conducted in July 2024 successfully struck its intended target and released the gas.
The material also suggests that the project encountered serious safety problems, including chlorine leaking from munitions inside a production facility.
Some of the chlorine was allegedly obtained from a civilian water treatment facility, raising further concerns because chlorine is widely used for water purification and disease prevention.
Allegations Help Explain US Sanctions
The evidence provides additional context for earlier US accusations against Sudan’s military.
Washington previously concluded that Sudanese forces had used chemical weapons during the conflict and imposed sanctions connected to those findings.
At the time, however, the United States did not publicly release detailed evidence supporting its assessment.
According to reporting on the dossier, some of its material had been shared with American intelligence and contributed to US assessments of Sudan’s alleged chemical weapons capabilities.
The use of chlorine as a weapon is prohibited under the Chemical Weapons Convention, to which Sudan is a party.
Chlorine itself is not prohibited because of its extensive civilian uses, particularly in water treatment and sanitation. Weaponising the chemical, however, would constitute a serious violation of international law.
Sudan Army Denies Allegations
Sudan’s military has rejected the accusations and challenged reporting alleging that it developed or deployed chemical weapons.
That denial remains important because the dossier, despite containing potentially significant evidence, has not replaced the need for independent investigation and verification.
Determining responsibility for chemical weapons use in an active conflict can require environmental samples, medical evidence, munition fragments, witness testimony and other forensic material.
Access to potential attack sites in Sudan remains extremely difficult.
The allegations should therefore be treated as serious and increasingly documented, but not as a substitute for a comprehensive independent investigation.
War Has Created Massive Humanitarian Crisis
The chemical weapons allegations emerge against the background of a conflict that has already produced one of the world’s most severe humanitarian emergencies.
Fighting erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces, SAF, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, RSF, commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti.
What began as a power struggle between rival military factions developed into a nationwide war.
A recent United Nations investigation said the conflict had killed at least 59,000 people, displaced approximately 13 million and pushed parts of Sudan into famine. The UN investigation has also found evidence that foreign networks have supplied weapons, training and other military support that has helped prolong the conflict. citeturn0news53
Both sides have faced serious allegations over their conduct during the war.
The latest chemical weapons evidence could further increase pressure for international investigations and accountability.
For Sudan’s military leadership, the allegations are particularly serious because the deliberate development or battlefield use of toxic chemicals would add another dimension to a conflict already characterised by widespread allegations of war crimes and abuses against civilians.
The immediate challenge will be determining whether international investigators can independently verify the evidence and establish who authorised, produced and potentially deployed the alleged weapons.
