USA impose sanctions against Sudan for chemical weapons

USA impose sanctions against Sudan for chemical weapons

(Reuters) - The United States announced on Thursday to impose sanctions against Sudan after the government was used to use chemical weapons in 2024 during the conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). This was contested by the army.

Details about the sanctions

The measures against Sudan include restrictions on US export companies and US government loans, which are expected to come into force around June 6, after the congress was informed on Thursday, as the spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry, Tammy Bruce, announced in an explanation.

claims and reactions

"The United States calls the government of Sudans to end all use of chemical weapons and to comply with their obligations according to the Convention on Chemical Weapons (CWC)," said Bruce in their message.

In a statement, Sudan's government rejected the allegations and described it as wrong. Khalid al-ice, the spokesman for the government, said on Friday: "This interference that lacks any moral or legal basis, wisely wins Washington what is left of its credibility, and closes the door to any influence in Sudan."

The conflict in Sudan

The war in Sudan broke out in April 2023 from a power struggle between the army and the RSF. This led to waves of ethnic violence, created the worst humanitarian crisis in the world and put several regions into hunger. Tens of thousands of people were killed and around 13 million people were driven out.

Washington imposed sanctions against the army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in January and accused him of having chosen the war instead of negotiations to end the conflict.

allegations against the RSF

The USA has also found that members of the RSF and allied militias Völkermord . Sanctions were imposed on some leaders of this group, including RSF leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti.

The New York Times reported in January that the Sudanese army used chemical weapons in at least two cases, including the use of chlorine, which can cause permanent damage to the human tissue.

official confirmations and international reactions

In her explanation, Bruce stated that the USA formally decided on April 24, according to the law on the control and elimination of chemical and biological weapons from 1991, that the government of Sudans used chemical weapons last year. However, she did not specify which weapons were used or where and when.

"The United States are completely determined to blame those who contribute to the spread of chemical weapons," added Bruce.

A diplomatic source from Sudan expressed that the intention behind the sanctions was to distract from the recent campaign in congress against the VAE. The source claimed that the United States had the possibility of hiring the organization for the ban on chemical weapons to investigate the allegations, but failed to do so.

diplomatic relationships and allegations

The Sudanese government is closely related to the army and this month broke the diplomatic relationships with Vae from. This happened after she explained that the Golfmacht supported the RSF with modern weapon technology in the devastating conflict, which had broken out after disagreements about the integration of the two forces.

The VAE rejected these allegations and explains that it supports humanitarian and peace efforts.

The US Democrats in Congress tried to block arms exports to the United Arab Emirates on Thursday.

This week Sudan announced that the United Arab Emirates were responsible for an attack on Port Sudan and for the first time accused the golf state of direct military intervention in war. The VAE rejected these allegations in a statement and condemned the attack.