US sanctions Sudan after ruling chemical weapons used during civil war

After discovering that Sudan’s military used chemical weapons last year to combat paramilitary forces, the United States will impose sanctions on the country.

According to US Department of State spokesperson Tammy Bruce, the country is “calling on the Government of Sudan to cease all use of chemical weapons and uphold its obligations” under the Chemical Weapons Convention.

According to Bruce, sanctions will be imposed on the US Congress on or around June 6 after the State Department’s decision has been made public.

Sudan exports to the US will be restricted, as will access to US government lines of credit be impeded. Sudanese government forces did not provide any additional information in its statement regarding when and where they used the chemical weapons.

The government’s forces used chemical weapons on at least two occasions against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in remote areas of Sudan, according to a report from The New York Times in January. Unnamed US officials, who claimed the weapon may have been chlorine gas, which can cause severe respiratory pain and death, were cited in the report.

Since April 2023, Sudan’s army and the RSF have been at odds with one another because of a power conflict.

In Sudan, thousands of people have died and 13 million have been displaced as a result of the conflict, which has also led to one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world and a famine.

The US has also previously criticized the RSF and its allies for carrying out genocide, and sanctioned senior figures like General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the organization’s head.