Chemical weapons in Sudan
As calls continued for hundreds of thousands of displaced people to return to Khartoum, medical teams began to document an increase in cases of people affected by chemical weapons in the Sudanese capital: children's faces covered in white spots and a soldier from the Port Sudan army bedridden after being wounded by chemical weapons.
Going back in time a little, two videos are circulating of the Port Sudan army commander, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and his assistant, Yasser al-Atta, on different occasions, in which both threaten to use “lethal force” against the Ta'sis coalition forces in the war that broke out in April 2023. Sudanese analysts and observers interpreted these statements as a veiled threat to use chemical weapons, although without explicitly mentioning it.
Sudanese activist Ahmad Ali posted a video showing a member of the Port Sudan Army bedridden due to the use of chemical weapons in Khartoum, noting on his X platform account that this Sudanese citizen resided in the United Kingdom but returned to Omdurman to fight alongside al-Burhan's army and its Islamist allies, until he fell ill from exposure to chemical agents.
Another video, posted by activist Nawal al-Khabir also on X, shows two children with white spots all over their bodies, allegedly victims of chemical weapons. She accuses Islamist “jihadists” of being behind these attacks, with the consent of the Port Sudan army, which allegedly allowed them to use internationally banned weapons, making innocent children pay the price.
Absolute silence
In an opinion piece published in the newspaper La Tribune, researcher and lecturer in international relations specializing in the Arab world and geopolitics, Sébastien Boussois, points out that while the world's attention is focused on Gaza and Ukraine, a darker tragedy is tearing Sudan apart, where the conflict is reaching unprecedented levels of violence, accompanied by accusations of the use of chemical weapons against civilians.
Amid the noise of global crises—the war in Ukraine and the conflict in Gaza—one African country is suffering in total silence: Sudan. However, violence in this country has reached unprecedented levels, with the alleged use of chemical weapons.
Boussois sums up the situation by saying, “While all eyes are on Gaza and the Red Sea, videos and testimonies circulating on the internet remind the world of a truth that official cameras ignore: the war in Sudan is not only a humanitarian tragedy, but could also be a testing ground for atrocities prohibited by international law.”
The researcher explains that civilians, displaced persons, and refugees directly accuse the Port Sudan army of using chemical weapons against its own people, based on the bloody images circulating on social media. Two main hashtags were launched on these platforms: “#SudaneseChemical” and “#SudaneseArmyAttacksWithChemicals,” which generated unprecedented mobilization in the Arab world and a wave of online outrage that transcended media and diplomatic agendas.
In the face of such accusations, the Port Sudan government's stubborn refusal to allow independent investigations reinforces suspicions, according to Boussois. If Khartoum had nothing to hide, it would seek to prove its innocence. But its silence confirms what witnesses are reporting: chemical attacks against civilians, children, and pregnant women.
The analyst points out that this pressure is beginning to have political repercussions: last September, the International Quartet (Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and the United States) issued a joint statement demanding a ceasefire, a transition to civilian rule, and an end to interference by Islamist groups linked to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Washington went further and imposed sanctions on Port Sudan's finance minister, Jibril Ibrahim, and the extremist militia Al-Bara ibn Malik, accused of receiving support from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. Subsequently, the Quartet drew up a roadmap for Sudan that excludes Islamists.
Cross-border terror
Given the international consensus that the use of chemical weapons represents a clear red line, Boussois warns that the world's silence implies the collapse of the very law of war. Sudan, already in chaos, risks becoming a hotbed of regional contagion, an intertwined network of mass atrocities, cross-border terrorism, and toxic alliances.
That is why, according to Boussois, it is urgent to commission independent international commissions to investigate the facts, since even social media, which has become a digital court of public opinion, is no longer sufficient. Action must be taken at the regional and global levels: “Geneva, The Hague, and New York must take charge of this case, otherwise the stench of toxic gas will not be limited to the Sudanese people, but will permeate the global consciousness as a collective defeat for humanity.”
Last October, an investigation by France 24 revealed that the Port Sudan army used chlorine gas in two attacks on Khartoum in 2024, dropping two barrels of chlorine in September of that year near the Al-Jaili oil refinery, north of the capital.
The United States imposed sanctions last June on the pro-Burhan government in Port Sudan for the use of chemical weapons in the bloody civil war, although Washington did not specify when or where those weapons were used, according to the Swissinfo website.
Although the use of chemical weapons in areas of Khartoum was documented last year, at that time the Ta'sis coalition forces controlled the area and Sudan's main oil facility, suggesting that they were deliberately targeted.
Human Rights Watch described the use of industrial chemicals as a weapon as an “alarming precedent.” However, the Port Sudan government has repeatedly denied the allegations, claiming that they are “political blackmail.” It even claimed a few weeks ago that an internal investigation found no evidence of chemical contamination in Khartoum state, despite observers reporting signs of pollution caused by chemical materials.
In June, the United States announced a year-long sanctions against Sudan after accusing the Port Sudan army of using chemical weapons in the armed conflict against the Ta'sis coalition forces.
On September 25, the Sudanese Coalition for Human Rights filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court against the Port Sudan army and government, requesting the opening of investigations against military leaders responsible for violations and the widespread deterioration of conditions in several regions of the country.