Sanctions and Allegations
On May 22, 2025, the U.S. State Department announced sanctions against Sudan, citing its government’s use of chemical weapons during clashes with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in 2024. The sanctions, set to take effect on June 6, include restrictions on U.S. exports and access to U.S. government-backed financial credit. These measures were enacted under the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991 (CBW Act), with the U.S. accusing Sudan of violating the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). However, the U.S. did not specify the chemical agents used, their deployment locations, or exact dates, relying instead on a January 2025 New York Times report alleging Sudan’s military used chlorine gas in two remote attacks against the RSF.
Sudan’s Rejection and Counterclaims
Sudan’s government dismissed the allegations as “political blackmail” and a “falsification of facts,” accusing the U.S. of ignoring RSF atrocities and attempting to divert attention from congressional scrutiny of UAE involvement. Information Minister Khalid Al-Ayesir criticized the lack of evidence and invoked the 1998 U.S. bombing of Sudan’s Al-Shifa pharmaceutical factory, which was falsely linked to chemical weapons production. Sudan also claimed the U.S. bypassed the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in its investigation.
Conflict Context and Humanitarian Crisis
The civil war, which erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and RSF, has killed over 150,000 people, displaced 13 million, and pushed millions to the brink of famine. Both sides have been accused of war crimes, with the RSF implicated in ethnic cleansing and sexual violence. The U.S. previously sanctioned SAF leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan for prolonging the conflict and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti) for genocide.
UAE’s Role and Arms Embargo Violations
Amnesty International reported that advanced Chinese-made weapons, including GB50A guided bombs and AH-4 howitzers, were supplied to the RSF by the UAE in breach of the UN arms embargo on Darfur. These weapons, manufactured by China’s Norinco Group, were used in attacks on civilian infrastructure, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis. In May 2025, Sudan severed diplomatic ties with the UAE over these allegations, though the UAE denies involvement.
Sanctions’ Humanitarian and Political Implications
The new sanctions risk worsening Sudan’s humanitarian crisis, as 25 million people face acute food insecurity and 1.5 million confront famine conditions. Critics argue the measures will primarily harm civilians rather than military leaders, who are already under existing sanctions. Sudanese diplomatic sources allege the sanctions aim to distract from U.S. congressional efforts to block arms sales to the UAE, which faces bipartisan scrutiny for its role in fueling the conflict.