By Matik Kueth
The United States will impose sanctions on Sudan after formally determining that the Sudanese government used chemical weapons in 2024, the State Department announced on Thursday.
The decision, made under the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991, was submitted to Congress along with a declaration that Sudan had violated the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), an international treaty it has signed.
In a statement, State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce called on the Sudanese government to cease the use of chemical weapons immediately and comply fully with its international obligations under the CWC.
The sanctions, scheduled to take effect around June 6, 2025, following a required 15-day congressional notification period, will include restrictions on U.S. exports to Sudan and limitations on Sudan’s access to U.S. government financing and credit assistance.
The U.S. emphasized its dedication to holding accountable those involved in the proliferation and use of chemical weapons.
This move follows a January 2025 New York Times report citing senior U.S. officials who confirmed that Sudan’s military deployed chemical weapons at least twice against the Rapid Support Forces (R.S.F.), a rival paramilitary group.
The attacks reportedly occurred in remote regions of Sudan, and there are growing concerns about the possibility of chemical weapons being used in crowded areas of the capital, Khartoum.
The revelation comes amid ongoing violence between Sudan’s military and the R.S.F., a conflict that erupted in April 2023 and has since spiraled into a massive humanitarian disaster.
The fighting has killed approximately 150,000 people, displaced more than 11 million, and triggered the worst famine the country has seen in decades.
This latest development adds to mounting international pressure on Sudanese military leader Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who is already under U.S. sanctions for widespread atrocities, including indiscriminate airstrikes and using starvation as a method of warfare.