<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By Ida Sawyer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Crisis, Conflict, and Arms Division Director, Human Rights Watch (HRW)<\/p>\n\n\n\n The United States government sanctioned General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, the head of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Sudan\u2019s de facto head of State, in January 2025, alleging that the Sudanese Army had used internationally prohibited chemical weapons, but failed to publish any evidence to support that claim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nevertheless, a new investigation by (France 24), a French broadcaster, provides the first public elements to corroborate the US allegations, indicating that the Sudanese Army may have used Chlorine in two incidents in (September 2024). The use of Chlorine, a common industrial chemical, as a weapon is prohibited under the Chemical Weapons Convention, to which Sudan is a party. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Moreover, exposure to Chlorine or its compounds can lead to diverse symptoms that can range from reddening and itchiness to shortness of breath and even death in some cases. Hence, the use of Chlorine as a weapon would constitute a serious violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and is a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n France 24 Observers, the network\u2019s digital investigation unit geolocated photographs and videos posted in (September 2024) at Garri Military Base and the nearby Al-Jaili Oil Refinery, north of Khartoum, both locations at the time were under the control of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the Sudanese Armed Forces’ opponent in the country\u2019s armed conflict. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The photographs and videos show metal containers used to store Chlorine near small craters, as well as a video showing a characteristic yellow-green cloud. In addition, journalists interviewed witnesses and analyzed social media posts from both pro-RSF and pro-SAF accounts attesting to these events. Human Rights Watch (HRW) independently verified the geolocation of the videos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n All State parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention ought to support a transparent investigation by the Technical Secretariat of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons including through a verification procedure called a challenge inspection. The United States should also publish the evidence on which it based its sanctions against al-Burhan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a conflict that has already seen both sides commit numerous war crimes, at times on a widespread scale, the apparent use of a common industrial chemical as a weapon creates a disturbing precedent. It threatens international norms banning unconscionable forms of warfare. Furthermore, States have a responsibility to act. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Ida Sawyer Crisis, Conflict, and Arms Division Director, Human Rights Watch (HRW) The United States government sanctioned General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, the head of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Sudan\u2019s de facto head of State, in January 2025, alleging that the Sudanese Army had used internationally prohibited chemical weapons, but failed to publish …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":162233,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-162234","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n