Sudan has strongly rejected US sanctions imposed over allegations that its military used chemical weapons during the country’s war, describing the measures as “unilateral and unlawful,” based on unsubstantiated claims and driven by “purely political motives.” In a statement, the Foreign Ministry accused Washington of bypassing the relevant international mechanisms and disregarding procedures set out in the Chemical Weapons Convention by imposing sanctions based on “false allegations” that the Sudanese army had used prohibited weapons. The response came on the eve of a second round of US sanctions taking effect on July 20, after Washington determined that Khartoum had failed to satisfy the requirements of the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991. The measures bar US support for loans and technical or financial assistance to Sudan through multilateral development banks, tighten export restrictions, and suspend the operating authority of Sudanese government-owned or government-controlled airlines to and from the US. Humanitarian assistance and certain goods and technologies remain exempt. The ministry said Sudan had denied the allegations since they first surfaced in media reports citing anonymous sources. It reiterated that the country neither produces, possesses nor uses chemical weapons and remains committed to its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention. It added that Sudan continues to submit the convention’s required periodic declarations and pointed to its membership on the Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) as evidence of its cooperation with the body. Khartoum also expressed its willingness to cooperate with the US in technically verifying the allegations and to engage in any procedures needed to resolve outstanding concerns. It argued that Washington had neither presented credible evidence nor used the OPCW’s established verification mechanisms, saying this underscored the sanctions’ “purely political” nature. Washington announced in May 2025 that it had concluded the Sudanese government used chemical weapons in 2024 during the conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces. A first round of sanctions followed in June 2025, including export restrictions and limits on US government credit, although Washington did not publicly identify the type of weapon allegedly used or specify where or when it was deployed. US officials say Sudan failed to meet the conditions required to avoid additional sanctions, which were approved on June 23 and will remain in force for at least one year. Sudanese authorities and the military continue to deny the allegations, saying they are unsupported by any independent investigation or OPCW report. The US, however, maintains that its assessment shows Sudan violated international law and its obligations under the convention.
