A fresh open-source investigation by France 24’s Observers unit has surfaced material that appears to corroborate U.S. allegations that General al-Burhan’s forces (SAF) used internationally banned chemical agents during the country’s war.
Washington sanctioned General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, SAF chief and Sudan’s de facto head of state, in January 2025, citing alleged chemical-weapons use but without releasing underlying evidence. The new France 24 review points to two suspected chlorine attacks in September 2024.
France 24’s digital team geolocated photos and videos posted that month to the Garri military base and the nearby Al-Jaili oil refinery, north of Khartoum—areas then under Rapid Support Forces (RSF) control. The imagery shows metal chlorine containers positioned near small impact craters and, in one clip, a yellow-green cloud consistent with chlorine. Reporters also interviewed witnesses and examined posts from both pro-RSF and pro-SAF accounts. Human Rights Watch independently verified the geolocations.
Chlorine is a common industrial chemical, but its weaponization is prohibited under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), to which Sudan is a state party. Exposure can cause eye and skin irritation, breathing difficulties, and, in severe cases, death. Using chlorine as a weapon would violate the CWC and constitute a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
All CWC states parties should back a transparent investigation by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons’ Technical Secretariat, including—if warranted—a “challenge inspection.” The United States should also disclose the evidence informing its designation of al-Burhan.
Amid a conflict already marked by grave abuses by all sides, any confirmed resort to a readily available industrial chemical as a weapon would set a dangerous precedent and further erode global norms against inhumane warfare. States have a responsibility to act.
