Lawsuit against the Sudanese government for the use of chemical weapons

The case of violations in Sudan appears to be heading towards an unprecedented international legal escalation, after the Sudanese Coalition for Rights announced the filing of a lawsuit before the International Criminal Court against four of the main leaders of the military authority, including Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, on charges related to the use of chemical weapons and the commission of mass crimes against civilians.

The complaint was filed by the SAR organization and international lawyers.

This step coincided with statements made last May by the US State Department, which confirmed that the Sudanese army used chemical weapons in at least two attacks during the ongoing conflict, reinforcing international concerns about the seriousness of the violations and the need to hold those involved accountable.

The lawsuit, which targets army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, his assistant Yasser al-Atta, Shams al -Din al-Kabashi, and General al-Taher Mohamed, is accompanied by an official complaint to the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, as well as a letter to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons requesting the opening of an independent investigation and the suspension of the Port Sudan authority's membership.

This legal process is reminiscent of the precedent set in Darfur in the early 2000s, when allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity led to international arrest warrants being issued against former President Omar al-Bashir and several of his commanders.

However, this new case is more sensitive, as it is linked to the use of internationally banned weapons, which could open the door to greater pressure on Port Sudan and put the international community to the test in the fight against impunity.