On May 22, 2025, the United States announced plans to impose sanctions on Sudan, effective around June 6, following evidence that the Sudanese government used chemical weapons in 2024 during its ongoing conflict with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The Sudanese army, aligned with the government, denied the allegations, escalating diplomatic tensions amid a war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced 13 million since April 2023.
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce stated that the sanctions, prompted by a violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), will restrict U.S. exports and government lines of credit to Sudan. “The United States calls on the Government of Sudan to cease all chemical weapons use and uphold its obligations under the CWC,” Bruce said, following a formal determination on April 24, 2025, under the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991. The New York Times reported in January 2025 that the Sudanese military used chemical weapons, likely chlorine gas, at least twice in remote areas, targeting RSF fighters, raising concerns about potential use in densely populated Khartoum.
Sudan’s government rejected the accusations as “false” and politically motivated. “This interference lacks any moral or legal basis, depriving Washington of credibility,” said spokesperson Khalid al-Eisir on May 23. A Sudanese diplomatic source claimed the U.S. sanctions aim to deflect attention from congressional campaigns against the United Arab Emirates (UAE), accused of arming the RSF. Sudan severed ties with the UAE in May 2025, alleging the Gulf state supplied advanced weaponry to the RSF and was responsible for a recent attack on Port Sudan. The UAE denied these claims, condemning the attack and emphasizing its support for humanitarian efforts.
The conflict, sparked by a power struggle over integrating the army and RSF, has unleashed ethnic violence, famine, and the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with over 150,000 deaths reported. The U.S. previously sanctioned Sudanese army chief Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in January 2025 for prolonging the war and RSF leader Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti) for genocide. U.S. congressional Democrats also moved to block arms sales to the UAE over its alleged role in the conflict, further complicating regional dynamics.
As Sudan’s crisis deepens, the U.S. remains committed to addressing chemical weapons proliferation, though critics argue the allegations should have been investigated by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
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