US to impose sanctions on Sudan after finding government used chemical weapons

Washington: The United States will impose sanctions on Sudan after determining its government used chemical weapons in 2024 during the army's conflict with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, the State Department said on Thursday.

Measures against Sudan will include limits on US exports and US government lines of credit and will take effect around June 6, after Congress was notified on Thursday, Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement.

"The United States calls on the Government of Sudan to cease all chemical weapons use and uphold its obligations under the CWC," Bruce said, referring to the Chemical Weapons Convention treaty banning the use of such weapons.

Sudan's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The war in Sudan erupted in April 2023 from a power struggle between the army and the RSF, triggering mass displacement, famine and ethnically-driven killings.

Washington in January imposed sanctions on army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, accusing him of choosing war over negotiations to bring an end to the conflict.

The US has also determined members of the RSF and allied militias committed genocide and imposed sanctions on some of the group's leadership.

The New York Times reported in January, citing four senior US officials, that the Sudanese army had used chemical weapons at least twice during the conflict.

Bruce's statement said the US had formally determined on April 24 under the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991 that the government of Sudan used chemical weapons last year.