Sudan Military: Chlorine Bomb Allegations Resurface

• New reports from September 2026, based on intelligence, allege the Sudanese Armed Forces developed and used chlorine-based weapons against the Rapid Support Forces.
• These alleged attacks primarily occurred in and around Khartoum, a city that saw intense fighting from April 2023 to March 2025.
• Chlorine gas, an asphyxiating agent, causes severe respiratory damage and has been outlawed by international treaties since the 1925 Geneva Protocol.
• Sudan is a signatory to the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention, which prohibits the development, production, and use of such munitions.
• The alleged deployment of chlorine gas, a crude but accessible weapon, would constitute a serious violation of international law.

The use of such weapons, particularly by a signatory state, represents a grave breach of international humanitarian law and the Chemical Weapons Convention.

Recent reports, published in September 2026 by prominent US news outlets The New York Times and The Washington Post, have brought renewed attention to persistent allegations of chemical weapons deployment in the ongoing Sudanese civil war. These publications cite materials provided by an anonymous Middle Eastern intelligence agency, which suggest concerted efforts by officials within the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) to develop and utilize chlorine-based military weapons. These munitions were reportedly intended for use against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), with a particular focus on areas in and around Khartoum.

Khartoum itself was the scene of a protracted and brutal conflict between the army and paramilitary forces, spanning from April 2023 to March 2025. This period was marked by intense combat and heavy attacks that frequently impacted civilian neighborhoods. The Sudanese army ultimately asserted control over the capital in January 2026, following the conclusion of these significant battles. The new evidence specifically points to the alleged use of chlorine gas as a weapon during this tumultuous period.

Chlorine, a chemical substance with widespread peaceful applications such as water purification, can be weaponized by storing it as a liquefied gas under pressure. When transferred into munitions and deployed, these devices rupture upon impact, causing a rapid reduction in pressure. This process quickly transforms the liquid chlorine into a gaseous state, which then disperses into the environment. Exposure to this gas can induce a range of severe symptoms, from acute airway irritation to pulmonary oedema, a life-threatening condition where chemical burns damage lung tissue, leading to fluid accumulation in the lungs.

Classified as an asphyxiating agent, chlorine shares this category with substances like chloropicrine, which Russia is accused of using in Ukraine, and the more potent phosgene. These types of agents were among the first chemical weapons developed and used during the First World War between 1914 and 1918. Chlorine gas munitions are considered a crude weapon, relatively straightforward to develop and assemble. While it can be lethal in high concentrations without medical intervention, its imprecise delivery often limits its lethality. Despite its persistence, chlorine evaporates quickly in high temperatures. The evidence shared by the US news outlets indicates that air delivery was the preferred method in Sudan, mirroring its use by the Bashar al-Assad regime during the Syrian civil war from 2011 to 2024, where it was primarily dropped from airplanes and helicopters.

The use of chemical weapons, including chlorine gas, has been outlawed by international conventions for nearly a century, beginning with the Geneva Protocol of 1925. The global community generally regards these weapons as inhumane due to their capacity to inflict unnecessary suffering and their typically indiscriminate nature. Following their initial deployment in the First World War, there have been continuous international efforts to prohibit their use, development, and stockpiling.

These efforts culminated in the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which entered into force in 1997 and stands as one of the most successful international legal instruments. With 193 signatory states, the CWC comprehensively bans chemical weapons. Sudan became a member state of this convention in 1999, thereby committing to its provisions. The use of such weapons, particularly by a signatory state, represents a grave breach of international humanitarian law and the Chemical Weapons Convention.

This development signals potential violations of international humanitarian law and the Chemical Weapons Convention by a signatory state. Legal professionals should monitor for potential international investigations, sanctions, or war crimes proceedings, especially when advising clients with operations or interests in Sudan, or those involved in human rights and international justice.

Source: Original reporting via US news outlets and intelligence sources