African NGO forum urges Sudan to open sites to chemical weapons inspectors

African civil society groups have urged Sudan to permit international inspectors to investigate allegations that its army employed chemical weapons during its conflict with the Rapid Support Forces. This call was made during a three-day forum in Dakar, Senegal, where the NGOs requested the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights to compel Sudan to grant the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) access to send technical teams.

The organization also demanded that Sudan disclose the locations of chemical weapons production sites and munitions, as well as allow the OPCW to verify and dispose of them. The resolution further denounced the "massive war crimes and crimes against humanity" committed by both sides of the conflict, advocating for a ceasefire under the supervision of an independent international body, and an end to foreign weapons, funding, and diplomatic support for the warring parties.

In April 2024, the United States determined that Sudan's government had utilized chemical weapons, subsequently imposing sanctions, which were reinforced in July. Sudan, however, refutes these claims, asserting in July that it neither manufactures, holds, nor employs chemical weapons and labeling the sanctions as "unilateral and unlawful."

An interim report from a Sudanese national committee, presented at an OPCW meeting in July, stated that no evidence was found to support these allegations. Following the meeting, a representative of the United States emphasized that "domestic bureaucratic mechanisms are not a substitute for independent verification." The conflict in Sudan has resulted in significant displacement, with approximately 16 million individuals forced from their homes and over 20 million facing hunger since the war commenced in April 2023.