A dossier of classified documents, videos, and intercepted communications has provided new insight into Sudan’s alleged chemical weapons program, revealing efforts by the country’s military to develop and deploy chlorine-based munitions during the ongoing civil war. The materials, obtained by Middle Eastern intelligence sources and reviewed by multiple international experts, provide what appears to be detailed evidence of weapons tests, production facilities, and targeted attacks carried out between mid-2024 and mid-2025.

The civil conflict in Sudan, which erupted in 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has resulted in a severe humanitarian crisis with over 13 million displaced. Both factions have faced allegations of serious human rights abuses, with the RSF accused of genocide in Darfur by United Nations investigators.

According to the dossier, Sudanese military officials, including Brig. Gen. Tariq Madani, the reported chief architect of the chemical weapons effort, oversaw a program to assemble “dual-effect” munitions filled with chlorine gas and explosives. The weapons were intended to flush out RSF fighters entrenched in urban and military areas, such as Khartoum and key oil facilities. The program reportedly included manufacturing prototypes at a secret factory, testing bombs in desert locations, and stockpiling nearly 300 chemical munitions at Merowe Air Base north of the capital.

The evidence suggests Sudan sourced chlorine from multiple avenues, including commercial imports from Egypt and India, as well as from civilian water treatment plants that received shipments from international aid organizations to combat waterborne diseases. Notably, chlorine cylinders donated by groups such as UNICEF and the Red Cross to facilities like the al-Manara water treatment plant in Omdurman were allegedly diverted for weapon production purposes, according to voice messages attributed to Madani. UNICEF has stated that it monitors all shipments and has no record of chlorine being misused.

Visual materials in the dossier include videos of bomb tests releasing green-yellow vapor consistent with chlorine gas, images of makeshift bombs and modified aircraft designed to deploy them, and intercepted text messages discussing attacks and concealment strategies. One message described an attack on RSF positions at the al-Jaili oil refinery, corroborated by reports and statements from the RSF, who accused the Sudanese military of using chemical weapons there in September 2024. However, some experts note discrepancies in the types of munitions observed in different attacks.

Western intelligence officials and chemical weapons experts who reviewed the materials deem them credible indicators of a chemical weapons program, though they emphasize that definitive confirmation requires on-site inspections, which have not been possible due to the ongoing conflict. Sudan, a signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention since 1999, is prohibited from developing or using such weapons. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has acknowledged ongoing requests for clarification from Sudan but reported that investigations remain incomplete.

The Sudanese military has denied the allegations, calling the dossier “baseless” and threatening legal action against its publication. In response to U.S. sanctions imposed in 2025 and 2026 over chemical weapons concerns, Sudan established a committee to investigate the claims. General Madani, central to the program according to the documents, was appointed as an adviser to the panel, which reported no evidence of chemical contamination last year. However, the U.S. State Department maintains sanctions will continue until Sudan dismantles all chemical weapons facilities under international supervision.

The revelations add a new dimension to the protracted conflict in Sudan, highlighting the risks of chemical weapons use amid a war already marked by widespread violence and humanitarian suffering. As Gen. al-Burhan prepares to address the United Nations General Assembly, the international community continues to call for thorough, impartial investigations and a peaceful resolution to the crisis.