The world must act on Sudan’s chemical weapons

A recently released dossier has exposed the Sudanese Armed Forces' use of chemical weapons in the country's ongoing civil war, prompting calls for international action. The evidence, including photographs, videos, messages, and blueprints, includes desert bomb tests that emitted yellow vapour and a conveyor-style rack designed to drop bombs from a transport aircraft.

The dossier reveals that some chlorine used to create the bombs was sourced from a civilian water treatment plant in the capital, Khartoum, which received its supplies from international aid organizations. While chlorine itself is not a scheduled chemical under the Chemical Weapons Convention, its use as a weapon is banned and considered a war crime.

The investigation also implicates the SAF's founder, Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, in both knowledge of the chemical weapons program and efforts to cover it up. This places the army's leadership under intense scrutiny. The conflict, which began in April 2023, has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, displaced 14 million people, and left about 20 million – roughly 40-45% of the country's population – facing severe hunger.

However, the SAF and its main rival, the Rapid Support Forces, have both been accused of atrocities, and both need to be scrutinized.

The UN has reported that the SAF used foreign-supplied drones in operations that harmed civilians, highlighting the entity's dependence on foreign actors for deadly attacks on civilian areas. Senior US adviser Massad Boulos noted that 12 countries are militarily involved in Sudan. The UN report emerged just days after a US-based think tank published findings about the SAF's ties to Yemen's Houthi rebels, involving arms-smuggling networks across the Red Sea and in the Horn of Africa.

International response to these reports and the dossier has been inadequate. The US is urging a UN Security Council resolution to expand an arms embargo on Sudan, but accountability requires inspectors' access to suspected sites. Gen Al Burhan, who approved chemical warfare and subsequently erased evidence, cannot be allowed to retain leadership. Both the Security Council and the General Assembly must make it clear that Al Burhan cannot continue to lead the troubled nation.