With availability « New Evidence »: How and Where Did the Sudanese Army Use « Chemical Weapons »? In conjunction with what I published with, Al-Rakuba Editors | August 9, 2025
Al-Rakuba has obtained new evidence regarding the allegations pursuing the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) over the use of « chemical weapons » during the ongoing war with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). According to videos analyzed by the site, along with statements from experts and sources, the use of internationally prohibited weapons has occurred in more than one location across Sudan.
Sources reported that the chemical weapons used by the Sudanese army during the war were obtained from Iran via the regime of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad prior to its collapse.
The site analyzed about 10 video clips documenting army fighters using suspected toxic weapons, as evidenced by the protective suits and gas masks they wore during deployment. Other clips showed accounts from residents who experienced shelling with unfamiliar weapons that caused unusual diseases, killed livestock, and induced miscarriages.
In the « Al-Koma » area of North Darfur State, more than 170 cases of miscarriage were reported due to exposure to substances used by the army in aerial bombardment, according to information obtained by Al-Rakuba.
Documenting ThemselveSeveral of the videos analyzed by the site were filmed by army soldiers documenting themselves using weapons suspected to be chemical. One video posted on social media shows SAF soldiers wearing protective vests, respirators, and full-face masks inside a building in the capital, Khartoum, firing projectiles at an opposite building using weapons suspected to be the internationally banned mustard gas, as suggested by the conversation among the masked soldiers.
In another video published in May 2024, a soldier in SAF uniform wearing the same protective gear and mask is seen holding a yellow-tipped projectile, threatening RSF snipers deployed on the rooftops of Khartoum buildings that what he holds is the « remedy » for them.
It is likely that the United States government factored these videos among the evidence relied upon when imposing sanctions on the Sudanese army for using chemical weapons in its war against the RSF.
Last May, the United States imposed sanctions on the Sudanese army following accusations of using chemical weapons against the RSF.
SAF Commander General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan responded to these sanctions by forming an investigative committee into Washington’s accusations—a move observers considered an implicit admission of the validity of the allegations, with the committee’s actual task being to determine who within the army is responsible for using these weapons.
Barrel Bombs
In another video broadcasted by RSF soldiers in Darfur, western Sudan (Al-Koma region), Sudanese air force warplanes are shown dropping barrel bombs. One of them landed in a water pond, turning the water yellow and emitting a foul odor, according to local residents.
Eyewitnesses told Al-Rakuba that repeated shelling of the Al-Koma area with barrel bombs left behind severe health and environmental damage, including the death of hundreds of animals and the miscarriage of several pregnant women.
In early May, RSF soldiers in the Al-Kowi area of West Kordofan State, following fierce battles with the army, stated they discovered toxic-material protection equipment that the army intended to use in Kordofan.
The soldiers displayed these items in a video broadcast on social media, while Al-Rakuba found another video corroborating this account.
The video shows a bearded man, apparently a fighter from Islamist groups allied with the army, threatening the RSF in Kordofan with the use of all lethal weapons against them, including « perfume, incense, and spray weapons for those hiding in buildings and caves, » referring to banned weapons.
Al-Rakuba also reviewed a video filmed by camel herders in North Kordofan showing a warplane dropping objects appearing as white threads that spread over vast areas in Kordofan’s valleys. The videographer stated that these objects, some of which fell on trees, caused blindness in some animals.
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In June 2024, about twenty engineers at the Al-Jili Oil Refinery in Khartoum fainted following an airstrike by the Sudanese army on the refinery, according to a video published by the RSF, which controlled the site.
Iranian Weapons
Military expert Atef Nawai considers it probable that the Sudanese army used chemical weapons in its war against the RSF, citing repeated statements by army commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy Yasser al-Atta threatening to use « lethal force » without specifying what that force entails.
In a statement to Al-Rakuba, Nawai noted that reports indicate the Sudanese army received shipments of chemical weapons sent by Iran through former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during his final days, adding, « It is believed they were used in Khartoum and other areas. »
He noted that some reports suggest the RSF’s withdrawal from Al-Jazira and Khartoum occurred based on intelligence confirming the army’s use of chemical weapons, forcing them to pull back to protect their troops and equipment.
He added, « It is clear that the Sudanese army used the internationally prohibited weapon in Al-Jazira—specifically in the city of Al-Hilaliya—resulting in the deaths of hundreds of citizens, after which they launched propaganda claiming that the RSF poisoned the water wells. »
In November 2024, a mysterious epidemic broke out in the densely populated city of Al-Hilaliya, one of the few areas whose residents did not flee due to an agreement signed by local notables with the RSF after it entered Al-Jazira State in central Sudan.
The mysterious epidemic claimed the lives of hundreds of residents. Its symptoms included watery diarrhea; the RSF, which controlled the area at the time, called it « cholera, » while army supporters claimed it resulted from water poisoning.
From Khartoum to Darfur
Atef Nawai also suggested that the army used chemical weapons in Khartoum near the Shambat Bridge, Bahri, the General Command, and the Republican Palace. He explained, « Because of this, al-Burhan is still unable to sit in his office at the General Command or the Republican Palace. »
He added, « Because chemical weapons contaminate water, air, and soil, they spread throughout Khartoum State, ultimately leading to the emergence of strange diseases among Sudanese that claimed thousands of lives. Sudanese authorities claimed it was cholera, but the symptoms do not resemble cholera—especially the physical deformities that appear during infection and the high rate of miscarriages among women. »
Nawai mentioned that the issue did not stop at Khartoum and Al-Jazira, noting that some herders found barrels in valleys and near watering holes with unusual colors ranging between yellow and green near Al-Dubaibat in South Kordofan.
Nawai pointed to the bombing incident at the market in the « Tarh » area of North Darfur, which left about 400 people dead, adding, « The strange thing is that the bodies were completely charred and turned black within minutes. »
In March 2025, a warplane launched airstrikes targeting the weekly market of Tarh, located 40 kilometers north of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State, setting shops on fire and charring bodies.
The General Coordination for Displaced Persons and Refugees Camps suggested at the time that the army used « chemical weapons » in bombing the Tarh area, stating that « the missiles used in the shelling were extremely hot and may have contained chemical substances. »
Toxic Substances
In April 2024, local residents around the town of Mellit in North Darfur documented testimonies stating that the army bombed their livestock and water sources with unfamiliar toxic substances, causing diseases and high miscarriage rates in the Al-Koma area, alongside the death of numerous animals and the pollution of water sources.
Political analyst and human rights activist Mohammed Al-Mukhtar told Al-Rakuba that several credible indicators, including local testimonies, confirm the Sudanese army’s use of chemical weapons in North Darfur areas such as « Al-Koma and Mellit. »
He added, « It must be noted here that several reports have begun voicing strategic concerns over fears that the Muslim Brotherhood is taking control of the army, increasing the influence of Islamist battalions like the Al-Baraa bin Malik Corps, and securing modern weapons and drones—alongside the revival of relations between the Sudanese regime and Iran, and reports of military cooperation and the appearance of Iranian-made drones in the Sudan war. »
For his part, human rights activist Ali Gadallah noted that reliable and shocking reports indicate the army used chemical weapons in several Sudanese states, including Al-Jazira, Khartoum, and Darfur, particularly the Al-Koma region.
Miscarriages Among Pregnant Women
Gadallah, a native of the Al-Koma area in North Darfur, stated that the aerial bombardment on his region left behind catastrophic consequences, confirming that more than 170 women were reported to have suffered miscarriages caused by exposure to substances used by the army in airstrikes.
He added, « Furthermore, these attacks led to widespread water and soil contamination, threatening the long-term livelihoods of local communities. »
He noted that preliminary estimates indicate more than 500 citizens were killed and over 2,000 others injured as a result of these horrific airstrikes.
He continued, « The repercussions of these attacks on the environment and public health are expected to persist for many years, especially on lands used for grazing, directly affecting food security and the livelihoods of pastoral communities. »
Skin Diseases
Sudanese journalist Mohammed Saleh Al-Bashir believes that the army generals’ statements regarding the use of « lethal force » referred to the deployment of chemical weapons.
Al-Bashir told Al-Rakuba that « according to information from reliable sources, the army used the internationally prohibited weapon for the first time at the Omdurman Radio headquarters while it was controlled by the RSF, and also used it in the battles of Jebel Moya in Sennar State to tilt the balance in its favor at a time when it was nearly collapsing. »
Al-Bashir also claimed that the army used chemical weapons at the Al-Jili refinery and the Republican Palace in Khartoum, and in Mellit, North Darfur.
He pointed to the emergence of strange skin disease cases among residents in areas suspected of being exposed to chemical weapons, likely caused by environmental pollution—especially in Omdurman—which has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of citizens.
