The Secrets of War in Sudan: Chemical Weapons, Mass Killings, and the Collapse of Accountability
SPECIAL REPORT :WAR CRIMES & CHEMICAL WEAPONS
Confidential documents leaked from within the Sudanese military have exposed a secret chlorine weapons programme, while UN investigations document mass killings, genocide, and war crimes on a scale that demands urgent international action. This report from sources examines the full scope of the Sudanese army’s alleged operations and the devastating human cost.
Published by report from sources · Sources Analysis Unit
Featured image — The consequences of the Sudanese army’s war: mass casualties, displacement, and chemical weapons. (Editorial illustration)
Executive Summary
The civil war in Sudan, which began on April 15, 2023, has become one of the deadliest and most devastating conflicts of the 21st century. More than 150,000 people have been killed, over 13.4 million displaced, and the country faces what the World Health Organization calls the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. [11][20]
This report from sources presents evidence from two parallel and devastating revelations: first, the leak of confidential documents exposing a secret chemical weapons programme within the Sudanese army, and second, the mounting evidence of mass killings and war crimes committed by the Sudanese Armed Forces. Together, these revelations paint a picture of a conflict in which the rules of war have been systematically abandoned by the very institution meant to protect the nation, chemical weapons have allegedly been deployed against civilians and combatants alike, and accountability mechanisms have failed to keep pace with the scale of atrocities.
| INFOGRAPHIC · KEY FIGURES The Sudan War in Numbers |
| 150K+ | 61,000 | 106 | 1,700+ | 13.4M | 290 |
| Estimated deaths (entire conflict) | Deaths in Khartoum state alone | Chemical munitions used in combat | Civilian deaths from SAF airstrikes | People displaced | Chemical munitions in stockpile |
| 34M | 2.5x | ||||
| People in need of aid | Increase in civilian killings 2025 |
Sources: BBC, UN News, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. [11][14][20]
The Leaked Documents: A Secret Chemical Weapons Programme
On September 5, 2026, The Washington Post and The New York Times published two separate investigations based on files, correspondence, and internal materials that, for the first time, draw a detailed picture of an alleged secret programme within the Sudanese army to manufacture, test, and store munitions loaded with chlorine, and to use some of them in the war before later moves to remove traces that could lead back to it. [1]
The Washington Post obtained documents, video clips, messages, and internal materials from security officials in the Middle East, revealing a secret stockpile of chlorine bombs, production sites, desert tests, and lists of potential targets, in addition to later efforts to conceal traces of the programme. The files indicate the existence of up to 290 chemical munitions, while a conversation dating back to late 2024 reported that hundreds of bombs were stored at Merowe Air Base and that 106 of them were used. [3]
The New York Times revealed a file containing about 150 documents, photos, video clips, and a voice message, in addition to thousands of text messages, most of them extracted from the phones of senior Sudanese military officials. The materials describe a process spanning about six months during 2024 to develop and produce chemical munitions, with a project that began in July to develop a chlorine-based munition tested from an “Antonov An-32” aircraft in the Merowe area, described as having succeeded “100 percent.” [4][5]
By October 2024, the materials indicate the production of about 300 chemical munitions, most stored at Merowe. One document describes a munition carrying about 15 kilograms of gas and 20 kilograms of explosives, while another indicates that the development of a new design aimed to conceal evidence of chemical use. [6]
“The previous American accusation has, for the first time, become surrounded by public details about an alleged manufacturing mechanism, a stockpile, testing locations, correspondence, names, and alleged efforts to erase traces.”
— Report from sources analysis of leaked documents, September 2026 [10]
| INFOGRAPHIC · CHEMICAL WEAPONS PROGRAMME The Secret Chlorine Munitions Programme: Scale and Timeline |
| Munitions produced ~300 ████████████████████ |
| Munitions in stockpile 290 ███████████████████ |
| Munitions used in combat 106 ███████ |
| Documents leaked 150+ ██████████ |
| Development period (months) ~6 ████ |
Sources: The New York Times, The Washington Post, September 2026. [3][6]
Al-Burhan’s Role: Knowledge and Cover-Up
The New York Times says that intercepted voice and text communications, some of which included contact with al-Burhan, indicate his direct knowledge of the alleged project. It also discusses subsequent instructions attributed to him to remove traces of the activities after the American sanctions. [7] This detail intersects with what The Washington Post published about a message dating back to September 2025, which officials said was intended to reassure al-Burhan that a base where the weapons had been stored had been cleared of “traces and remnants.” [7]
The file opens another avenue related to the source of the chlorine, as the materials indicate the use of a substance originally available for civilian purposes, particularly drinking water treatment. [8] This diversion of a civilian water purification chemical into a weapon of war represents a particularly insidious dimension of the programme — one that punishes the very population the chemical was meant to protect.
The Sudanese army rejected the accusations, citing Sudan’s membership in the Chemical Weapons Convention since 1999. Al-Burhan formed a committee to investigate, which concluded that no chemical or radioactive contamination was found. [9] However, the United States formally determined in April 2025 that the Government of Sudan used chemical weapons in 2024 and remained in non-compliance with the CWC in 2025. [20]
| INFOGRAPHIC · CHRONOLOGY Timeline of the Sudan War and SAF Chemical Weapons Programme | |
| APRIL 2023 | Civil war erupts in Sudan; mass displacement begins as the army launches military operations. |
| JULY 2024 | SAF begins secret chlorine munitions programme; first test from Antonov An-32 at Merowe described as “100 percent” successful. [5] |
| SEPT 2024 | Chlorine barrels dropped from the air near al-Jaili refinery; video evidence documented by France 24. [12] |
| OCT 2024 | ~300 chemical munitions produced by SAF; 106 used in combat. [6] |
| JAN 2025 | US sanctions al-Burhan; NYT reveals SAF chemical weapons use. [19] |
| FEB 2025 | SAF airstrikes in Nyala, South Darfur kill and injure scores of civilians; HRW documents war crimes. [13] |
| APRIL 2025 | US formally determines Sudan used chemical weapons in 2024; CWC non-compliance. [20] |
| JUNE 2025 | SAF bombs mosque in West Kordofan, killing 41 and wounding dozens. [15] |
| JULY 2025 | SAF airstrikes in West Kordofan kill at least 23 civilians. [15] |
| DEC 2025 | Sudan Witness investigation reveals 384 SAF airstrikes; 1,700+ civilians killed. [14] |
| FEB 2026 | UN reports civilian death toll more than doubled in 2025; 2.5x increase. [24] |
| JULY 2026 | OPCW Executive Council: US declares SAF used chemical weapons in 2024; demands inspections. [18] |
| SEPT 2026 | NYT and Washington Post publish confidential documents exposing the SAF chemical weapons programme. [2] |
Mass Killings: The Human Cost of the SAF War
The chemical weapons programme is just one dimension of a conflict that has produced staggering levels of civilian death. A study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine’s Sudan Research Group found that more than 61,000 people have died in Khartoum state alone, where the fighting began in April 2023. Of these, 26,000 were killed as a direct result of violence, with the leading cause of death across Sudan being preventable disease and starvation. [11]
In February 2026, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights reported that killings of civilians in Sudan’s war more than doubled in 2025 compared with the previous year — an over two and a half times increase. Many thousands remain missing or unidentified. Since January 2026, drone attacks in the southern Kordofan region have killed or injured nearly 600 civilians, including in attacks on humanitarian aid convoys. [24]
| 1,700+ Civilians killed in SAF airstrikes on residential areas, markets, schools, and displacement camps (April 2023–July 2025). [14] | 384 SAF airstrikes analysed by Sudan Witness, with 35 striking markets and 19 hitting health facilities, displacement sites, and schools. [14] | 600 Civilians killed or injured by drone attacks in Kordofan since January 2026, including attacks on humanitarian aid convoys. [24] |
Sudanese Armed Forces: Airstrikes and War Crimes
The Sudanese Armed Forces have been implicated in widespread war crimes throughout the conflict. Human Rights Watch documented that the SAF used unguided air-dropped bombs to carry out attacks in residential and commercial neighbourhoods in Nyala, South Darfur, in early February 2025. The indiscriminate attacks, apparent war crimes, killed and injured scores of civilians. [13]
An investigation by Sudan Witness, obtained by the BBC, analysed 384 airstrikes conducted by the Sudanese Air Force between April 2023 and July 2025. More than 1,700 civilians were reported killed and 1,120 injured. In 35 instances, bombs struck markets and commercial facilities, often when crowded with people. Nineteen strikes affected vulnerable groups in health facilities, displacement sites, and educational institutions. [14]
HRW’s World Report 2026 documented additional SAF violations: in West Kordofan, the SAF bombed a mosque on June 21, 2025, killing 41 and wounding dozens. The SAF also carried out airstrikes in July 2025 in West Kordofan that reportedly left at least 23 civilians killed. [15]
| INFOGRAPHIC · SAF AIRSTRIKES Sudanese Air Force Bombing Campaign (April 2023–July 2025) |
| Total airstrikes analysed 384 ████████████████████ |
| Civilians killed 1,700+ ███████████████████ |
| Civilians injured 1,120 ████████████ |
| Strikes hitting markets 35 ████ |
| Strikes on vulnerable sites 19 ██ |
Source: Sudan Witness investigation, BBC, December 2025. [14]
Beyond the Bombs: Systematic SAF Abuses
The aerial campaign represents only one facet of the Sudanese Armed Forces’ pattern of abuse. Human Rights Watch has documented that the SAF is highly involved in widespread violations, including extrajudicial killings, sexual violence, and rampant looting and destruction of civilian infrastructure. [16] These abuses are not isolated incidents but part of a systematic pattern that has terrorised civilian populations across Sudan.
The SAF’s diversion of chlorine — a chemical imported for civilian water purification — into a weapon of war has had devastating consequences beyond the immediate casualties of chemical attacks. By weaponising a substance essential for clean drinking water, the army has compounded the humanitarian catastrophe: water treatment facilities have been compromised, and communities already facing the world’s largest humanitarian crisis have been further deprived of safe water. France 24 documented how chlorine imported to Sudan for water purification ended up being used as a poison gas. [12]
The leading cause of death across Sudan is now preventable disease and starvation — a reality the SAF has exacerbated through its military operations, which have disrupted food supply chains, destroyed agricultural infrastructure, and blocked humanitarian access. The UN reported a cholera outbreak in July 2026, linking the spread of waterborne disease to the collapse of water and sanitation systems. [21] The SAF’s destruction of civilian infrastructure has created conditions in which disease spreads unchecked, turning the weaponisation of water into a slow-motion humanitarian catastrophe.
Human Rights Watch has called for the UN Security Council to urgently work with the African Union to deploy a civilian protection mission, and for governments to support the ICC prosecutor’s investigation. The organisation noted that the SAF has committed widespread abuses, including extrajudicial killings, sexual violence, and rampant looting and destruction of civilian infrastructure. [16]
| INFOGRAPHIC · SAF VIOLATIONS Documented Sudanese Armed Forces Atrocities |
| Indiscriminate airstrikes 384 ████████████████████ |
| Civilian deaths from airstrikes 1,700+ ███████████████████ |
| Chemical munitions used 106 ███████ |
| Mosque bombing deaths (Jun 2025) 41 ██ |
| Kordofan drone casualties 600 ██████ |
Sources: Sudan Witness/BBC, HRW, UN News. [14][15][24]
Catalogue of Sudanese Armed Forces Violations
| Category of Violation | Details and Evidence |
| Chemical weapons use | Chlorine munitions programme; 106 used in combat; US determined CWC non-compliance [3][20] |
| Indiscriminate airstrikes | 384 documented; 1,700+ civilian deaths; 1,120 injured [14] |
| Attacks on markets | 35 strikes on markets and commercial facilities, often when crowded [14] |
| Attacks on protected sites | 19 strikes on health facilities, schools, displacement sites [14] |
| Mosque bombing | 41 killed in West Kordofan mosque, June 21, 2025 [15] |
| Drone attacks on civilians | 600 killed/injured in Kordofan since Jan 2026; aid convoys targeted [24] |
| Extrajudicial killings | Documented by Human Rights Watch as widespread [16] |
| Sexual violence | Documented by Human Rights Watch [16] |
| Looting and destruction | Rampant looting and destruction of civilian infrastructure [16] |
| Weaponisation of water | Chlorine diverted from water purification to chemical weapons [12] |
| Starvation as weapon | Leading cause of death is preventable disease and starvation [11] |
Denial, Cover-Up, and the Accountability Gap
The Sudanese army has consistently rejected the chemical weapons accusations, arguing that what was published lacks material basis and citing Sudan’s membership in the Chemical Weapons Convention since 1999. Al-Burhan formed a committee to investigate the accusations, which concluded that no chemical or radioactive contamination was found. [9] However, the United States rejected this internal investigation as no substitute for independent OPCW verification, and formally determined Sudan’s continued non-compliance in 2025. [20]
At the OPCW Executive Council’s 112th session in The Hague in July 2026, the US declared that its “rigorous, independent technical analysis” concluded the SAF used chemical weapons in 2024. Washington urged Sudan to submit a comprehensive declaration and grant inspectors immediate, transparent, and unrestricted access — a request Sudan has not fulfilled. [18]
The leaked documents may change the dynamics. As the report from sources analysis notes, this shift may increase pressure on Khartoum and open the way for additional sanctions targeting individuals or entities linked to the alleged programme, if Washington or other international parties adopt what the documents reveal or if it is reinforced by independent evidence. [10]
International Response: Too Little, Too Late
The international community’s response to the Sudan crisis has been widely criticized as inadequate. The UN Security Council has not referred the situation to the International Criminal Court for chemical weapons use, despite the use of chlorine as a weapon constituting a war crime under the Rome Statute. The OPCW has been unable to conduct on-site verification due to Sudan’s refusal to grant access and the absence of a Chapter VII mandate. [22]
Human Rights Watch has called for the UN Security Council to urgently work with the African Union to deploy a civilian protection mission, and for governments to support the ICC prosecutor’s investigation. The organisation noted that the SAF is highly involved in widespread abuses, including extrajudicial killings, sexual violence, and rampant looting and destruction of civilian infrastructure. [16]
The question, as one analysis posed in September 2026, is why the Sudan chemical weapons case has not been resolved internationally. The answer lies in a combination of geopolitical obstruction, the absence of a Chapter VII mandate, and Sudan’s refusal to grant OPCW inspectors access — a refusal that itself constitutes a violation of its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention. [22]
Conclusion
The secrets of war in Sudan are now coming to light, and they reveal a conflict in which the Sudanese Armed Forces have committed grave violations of international humanitarian law. The army’s alleged chemical weapons programme — using chlorine diverted from water purification to manufacture munitions dropped on civilians — represents a particularly cynical violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and the laws of war. The mass killings, indiscriminate airstrikes on markets and mosques, drone attacks on civilians, and systematic sexual violence documented by the UN and human rights organisations demand an accountability response commensurate with the scale of the atrocities.
The report from sources calls on the international community to act with urgency: to mandate independent OPCW verification of chemical weapons use, to refer the situation to the International Criminal Court, to impose targeted sanctions on individuals responsible for war crimes, and to deploy a civilian protection mission. The leaked documents have removed any remaining excuse for inaction. The people of Sudan cannot wait.
References
[1] Confidential Documents source — « Confidential Documents Reveal the Secrets of Sudan’s Chemical Program » (September 2026).
[2] The Washington Post / The New York Times — Investigations based on leaked files, September 2026.
[3] The Washington Post — Secret stockpile of chlorine bombs, 290 munitions, 106 used.
[4] The New York Times — 150 documents, photos, voice messages from senior military officials.
[5] Chemical munition details — 15kg gas, 20kg explosives, Antonov An-32 test described as “100 percent” successful.
[6] Production of ~300 chemical munitions by October 2024; 106 used in combat.
[7] Al-Burhan’s direct knowledge and cover-up instructions; September 2025 message about clearing traces.
[8] Chlorine sourced from civilian water treatment purposes.
[9] Sudanese army denial and internal investigation; CWC membership since 1999.
[10] Shift in international pressure from leaked documents.
[11] BBC News — « Sudan war: Death toll far higher than previously reported » (14 November 2024). https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crln9lk51dro
[12] France 24 — « How did chlorine imported to Sudan for water purification end up being used as a poison gas? » (29 November 2025). https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20251129-sudan-chlorine-imports-investigation-water
[13] Human Rights Watch — « Sudan: Armed Forces Airstrikes in South Darfur » (4 June 2025). https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/06/04/sudan-armed-forces-airstrikes-south-darfur
[14] BBC News — « Sudan war: Air force’s bombing of towns, markets and schools has killed hundreds » (9 December 2025). https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd0k7g202l2o
[15] Human Rights Watch — World Report 2026: Sudan. https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2026/country-chapters/sudan
[16] Human Rights Watch — « Sudan: Unlawful Attacks on Civilians, Infrastructure » (19 June 2024). https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/06/19/sudan-unlawful-attacks-civilians-infrastructure
[17] Human Rights Watch — « Sudan: After 2 Years of War, Global Action Needed » (13 April 2025). https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/04/13/sudan-after-2-years-war-global-action-needed
[18] OPCW — United States Statement at the 112th Session of the Executive Council (July 2026).
[19] The National — « US demands immediate inspections of Sudan’s chemical weapons » (11 July 2026). https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/07/11/us-demands-immediate-inspections-of-sudans-chemical-weapons-and-warns-of-consequences/
[20] The New York Times — « Sudan’s Military Has Used Chemical Weapons Twice, U.S. Officials Say » (16 January 2025). https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/16/world/africa/sudan-chemical-weapons-sanctions.html
[21] UN News — « New cholera outbreak alert for Sudan’s war-weary communities » (10 July 2026). https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/07/1167913
[22] ImArabic — « Sudan and the OPCW: Why Has the Case Not Been Resolved Internationally? » (6 September 2026).
[23] Human Rights Watch — « Fanning the Flames » (9 September 2024). https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/09/09/fanning-flames
[24] France 24 — « Civilian death toll in Sudan war more than doubled in 2025, UN says » (26 February 2026). https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260226-civilian-death-toll-in-sudan-war-more-than-doubled-in-2025-un-says
© 2026 · Report from sources · Sources Analysis. This report is based on publicly available sources and leaked documents. Allegations of chemical weapons use and war crimes remain subject to independent verification.
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