The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) are again facing allegations that they pursued and used chlorine-based munitions during their war with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). New reporting by The Washington Post is based on a cache of purported intelligence material that includes documents, images, videos, intercepted communications and messages recovered from Sudanese military phones.
The material is said to describe a covert effort launched in 2024 to turn chlorine into battlefield weapons. It reportedly contains design plans for the munitions, evidence of testing and discussions about concealing the programme after US officials became aware of it. The files also point to an alleged attempt to draw chlorine from a civilian water-treatment facility supplied through international humanitarian assistance.
A covert programme under pressure
According to the New York Times, the alleged project emerged as the SAF sought to break the military deadlock around Khartoum in early 2024, when RSF forces controlled large parts of the capital. The records identify Brigadier General Tariq Hussein as a key organiser from July of that year. Messages attributed to him discuss a warhead carrying about 33 pounds of chlorine and suggest that production began that month.
One reported test took place on 22 July, when an Antonov cargo aircraft left Merowe Airport, north of Khartoum. Hussein allegedly described the launch as successful and attached footage of a desert blast, saying the device had struck its target and released gas. Another officer, Brigadier General Amir Idris, is reported to have replied: “Top Secret.”
Leaks, supply problems and civilian chlorine
According to The New York Times the communications also describe serious handling problems. In one reported incident, leaking gas was said to have left insects and scorpions dead inside a hangar. Finding enough chlorine was another concern. The New York Times reported that 20 cylinders were moved across a neighbouring border in late August 2024, with Hussein estimating that they could produce around 1,100 bombs.
The files further allege that chlorine was taken from the Al-Manara water-treatment plant in Omdurman. That claim is especially serious because the chemical was intended for emergency water purification during cholera outbreaks. The ICRC told the New York Times that it had supplied 30 cylinders to the facility in 2023; CARE said it delivered 35 cylinders during 2024 and 2025, while UNICEF said it provided chlorine to six plants in Khartoum, including Al-Manara, over the same period.
By October 2024, Hussein reportedly said around 300 munitions had been produced and largely stored at Merowe Airport. A September message in the cache referring to RSF fighters at the Al-Jaili oil refinery stated that “they drank the gas”, an assertion that echoed an RSF accusation at the time that toxic missiles had been fired at the site.
Sanctions, denials and calls for an inquiry
Washington imposed sanctions in May 2025 over claims that Sudan’s military used chemical weapons in 2024; those measures took effect on 20 July 2025. Authorities in Port Sudan have repeatedly denied producing, holding or using chemical weapons, saying they remain committed to the Chemical Weapons Convention.
The New York Times reported that the alleged operation was curtailed after US officials identified it. Intercepted exchanges are said to show General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan directing Hussein to erase evidence, while Hussein later served as an adviser to an internal committee examining the US accusations. US sanctions on Burhan in January 2025 cited his alleged knowledge of the programme.
Arms specialists consulted by the New York Times said the available material strongly suggests chemical weapons were deployed, but stressed that only an independent on-the-ground investigation could establish what happened. Sudan’s Emergency Lawyers group has called for international experts to receive safe and unrestricted access to relevant locations, evidence and witnesses.
