Sudan’s civilian Sumood coalition has urged the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to launch an urgent, independent investigation into allegations that the Sudanese Armed Forces produced and used banned chemical weapons during the ongoing war.
The Civil Democratic Alliance of Revolutionary Forces, known as Sumood, issued its appeal following investigations by The New York Times and The Washington Post that it said contained evidence of a secret military programme to produce and stockpile chlorine-filled munitions.
According to the coalition’s statement, the investigations drew on documents, video footage and other evidence pointing to the approval and supervision of senior military commanders.
Sumood said the allegations demanded a transparent technical investigation and could not be dismissed as political accusations or answered through denial alone.
“This information is extremely serious because it documents the production, storage and use of an internationally prohibited weapon,” the coalition said.
The alliance also raised alarm over allegations that chlorine cylinders supplied to purify drinking water through United Nations programmes and international relief organisations had been diverted for military use.
Turning materials intended to save lives into weapons would compound the harm inflicted on Sudanese civilians, the coalition said, warning of the consequences of diverting humanitarian supplies to the war effort.
Sumood described the alleged use of chemical weapons as a war crime and a flagrant violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, stressing that compliance with international prohibitions was non-negotiable.
It called for OPCW experts to receive direct, unrestricted access to relevant sites, documents and witnesses to establish responsibility and pave the way for accountability.
The coalition renewed its demand for an immediate halt to military operations, protection for civilians and the opening of humanitarian corridors.
It said a just peace and a civilian democratic transition were essential to ending Sudan’s cycle of war and impunity.
