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An investigation published by France24 on Thursday alleges that the Sudanese army used chlorine gas in two separate attacks north of Khartoum earlier in 2024.
The revelation adds new detail to US allegations that Sudan’s military employed chemical weapons during its ongoing war with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which began in April 2023.
Washington imposed sanctions on Sudan’s army-aligned government in June over the reported use of such weapons, though it did not specify the locations or timing of the incidents.
France24’s investigation, however, indicates that the army dropped two chlorine barrels in September 2024 around the al-Jaili oil refinery, located north of the capital and then under RSF control.
Human Rights Watch described the apparent use of chlorine — a widely used industrial chemical — as a “disturbing precedent.”
The Sudanese government has repeatedly rejected the accusations, dismissing them as “baseless” and an act of “political blackmail.”
An internal inquiry conducted last month claimed there was “no evidence” of chemical contamination in Khartoum state.
Using open-source material, social media footage, and assessments from five independent experts, France24 verified that one industrial chlorine barrel was dropped from an aircraft on September 5, 2024, on the Garri military base near al-Jaili.
The footage showed a yellow gas cloud consistent with chlorine.
The report traced the barrel back to an Indian company that exported it to Port Sudan the previous month, saying it was intended “solely for the treatment of drinking water.”
France24 also confirmed a second chlorine barrel attack on September 13, 2024, this time targeting the al-Jaili oil refinery. Given that the RSF lacks combat aircraft, the report suggests only the Sudanese army could have carried out the aerial attacks.
The civil war in Sudan, now in its second year, has killed tens of thousands of people and triggered what the United Nations calls the world’s worst hunger and displacement crisis.
Both warring factions — the Sudanese army and the RSF — stand accused of widespread atrocities, including indiscriminate bombings and attacks on civilians.
In January, the United States determined that the RSF had committed acts of genocide in Darfur, and both sides remain under US sanctions.
