A second phase of US sanctions against Sudan came into force on Monday, July 20, targeting financial assistance, technology exports and certain aviation links over allegations that the Sudanese Armed Forces used chemical weapons during the country’s ongoing war.
Sudan’s Foreign Ministry rejected the measures, describing them as unilateral and unlawful sanctions based on what it called unfounded accusations.
Under the restrictions announced by the US State Department, Washington will oppose loans and financial or technical assistance to Sudan from multilateral development banks, except for humanitarian support.
The measures also prohibit the export of most US goods and technology to Sudan and restrict foreign airlines owned or controlled by the Sudanese government from operating flights to and from the United States.
The latest restrictions follow sanctions announced by Washington in June 2025, after the United States concluded that Sudanese government forces had used chemical weapons during fighting in April of that year.
In a statement reported by Radio Dabanga, Sudan’s Foreign Ministry said the government had denied the allegations since they first appeared in media reports attributed to unidentified sources.
The ministry said Sudan remained fully committed to the Chemical Weapons Convention, including its obligations to submit regular declarations and refrain from producing, possessing or using chemical weapons.
It also pointed to Sudan’s membership in the Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, or OPCW, as evidence of its continued engagement with the international body.
Sudan says US failed to provide evidence
The ministry said the Sudanese government had offered to cooperate with Washington and follow the technical and procedural mechanisms required to investigate the allegations.
However, it accused the United States of failing to provide credible evidence and of bypassing the verification procedures established under the Chemical Weapons Convention before imposing sanctions.
“The sanctions are entirely political and do not reflect genuine concern about preventing the use of chemical weapons,” the ministry said, arguing that Washington had previously used allegations involving prohibited weapons to advance its political objectives.
The statement called on the US government to follow the internationally recognised procedures governing chemical weapons investigations and to provide Sudan with the evidence it says supports the allegations.
Sudan also reiterated its commitment to relevant international agreements and said it would continue cooperating with specialised organisations, particularly the OPCW.
Earlier in July, a Sudanese national committee established to investigate the US allegations presented a report during an OPCW meeting in The Hague.
The committee said it had found no evidence or indications that chemical weapons had been used. The US delegation, however, called on Sudanese authorities to grant OPCW technical teams access to the country to conduct an independent investigation.
