The United States has imposed a second round of sanctions on Sudan over allegations that the Sudanese Armed Forces  (SAF) used prohibited chemical weapons during the country’s civil war, escalating pressure on the military leadership despite Khartoum’s continued denial of the accusations.

The sanctions, which entered into force on July 20, expand export controls, impose additional financial and aviation-related restrictions and require the United States to oppose loans and financial assistance to Sudan through  international  financial  institutions. 

They  built  on  measures  introduced  in  2025  after  the  US determined that Sudan had violated the Chemical Weapons Convention.

According to the US Department of State, the latest sanctions are based on a “rigorous and independent national technical assessment” concluding that prohibited chemical weapons were used during the conflict between the SAF and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which erupted on 15 April 2023 and has since created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

Addressing the 112th Session of the Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague on July 9, US Ambassador Nicole Shampaine said “the prohibition on the use of chemical weapons is absolute and non-negotiable.”

She called on Sudan to grant the OPCW Technical Secretariat  “immediate,  transparent  and  unrestricted  access”  to  investigate  the  allegations  and  urged  the authorities to comply with their obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention.

The United States also rejected Sudan’s decision to establish a national committee to investigate the allegations, arguing that domestic inquiries cannot replace independent international verification.

Responding to Khartoum’s announcement, the US delegation said “domestic bureaucratic mechanisms are not a substitute for treaty compliance and independent verif cation.”

It added that Washington had not conducted its own investigation inside Sudan but had shared its technical assessment with the Sudanese authorities and urged them to cooperate fully with the OPCW.

During the OPCW Executive Council meeting, Chad warned that any possession or use of chemical weapons in Sudan would threaten the security and stability of neighbouring countries.

Sudan  joined  the  Chemical  Weapons  Convention  in 1999 and currently serves on the OPCW Executive Council.

The United States has questioned whether a country accused of violating the Convention should continue serving on the Organisation’s executive body while the allegations remain unresolved.

Meanwhile, Sudan has dismissed the US allegations and sanctions as politically motivated and unsupported by evidence, further maintaining that the country neither produces, possesses nor uses chemical weapons.

In a statement issued on July 20, the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said it “categorically rejects the unilateral and illegal sanctions announced by the United States against Sudan based on false allegations.”

The ministry reaffirmed Sudan’s commitment to the Chemical Weapons Convention adding that it would continue cooperating with the OPCW in line with its treaty obligations.

Khartoum also argued that the United States had “not presented any credible evidence” and instead relied on politically motivated accusations rather than the Convention’s verified cation mechanisms.

US officials said the sanctions are intended to target those responsible for alleged violations rather than the Sudanese population and include exemptions for humanitarian and food assistance.

At the same time, the US delegation warned that “the risk of further chemical weapons use remains a concern, as does the broader violence affecting Sudan’s civilian population.”