US sanctions Sudan over chemical weapons use

The US will impose new sanctions on Sudan after finding it used chemical weapons last year in the ongoing civil war against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), reports BBC News. According to the State Department, US exports to the country will be restricted and financial borrowing limits put in place from 6 June, a statement from spokesperson Tammy Bruce read. Both the Sudanese military and the paramilitary RSF group have previously been accused of war crimes during the conflict. Sudanese officials say they do not yet have a statement. More than 150 000 people have been killed during the conflict, which began two years ago when Sudan's army and the RSF began a struggle for power. In recent months, Sudan's military has recaptured the capital of Khartoum, but fighting continues elsewhere. No detail was provided about which chemical weapons the US said it found, but The New York Times reported in January that Sudan used chlorine gas on two occasions, which causes a range of painful and damaging effects and can be fatal. ‘The United States calls on the Government of Sudan to cease all chemical weapons use and uphold its obligations under the CWC,’ the statement read, referring to the Chemical Weapons Convention under which signatories have committed to destroy their stockpiles of the weapons. Nearly every country in the world – including Sudan – has agreed to the CWC, apart from Egypt, North Korea and South Sudan, according to the Arms Control Association.

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