UK’s Lammy voices concern over US finding of Sudan chemical weapons use

 May 25, 2025 (LONDON) – British Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Friday said he was deeply concerned by the United States’ determination that Sudan’s army had used chemical weapons and urged it to protect civilians.

His comments followed a U.S. State Department finding that the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) had employed chemical weapons, including alleged use of the choking agent chloropicrin, during the country’s ongoing civil war. Washington said it would impose new sanctions on Sudan.

“Any use of chemical weapons is unacceptable,” Lammy said in a statement. “After two years of brutal conflict, the Sudanese people have faced enough. The world cannot continue to look away from the atrocities taking place.”

Lammy urged the SAF to “take immediate steps to protect civilians and ensure that its forces do not use chemical weapons against their own people.”

The U.S. State Department concluded that the SAF had used “riot control agents” as a “method of warfare.” This determination included evidence of an alleged attack in Omdurman in September 2023, where chloropicrin was reportedly used against Rapid Support Forces (RSF) positions, according to details from Washington.

Chloropicrin, used in World War One, is banned by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons when used as a method of warfare.

The U.S. said its planned sanctions, expected to take effect around June 6, 2025, after a congressional notification period, would include restrictions on U.S. exports to Sudan and limits on access to American government credit.

The Sudanese government has vehemently denied the U.S. allegations, describing them as “baseless claims” and “political blackmail.” Khartoum accused Washington of distorting facts and ignoring other alleged atrocities.

Commenting on the U.S. sanctions, Yasir Arman, chairman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), said that targeted sanctions might be more beneficial.

“It might benefit Sudan and Sudan/US relations to impose targeted sanctions rather than state sanctions,” Arman said, referencing past difficulties in lifting state-wide sanctions.

The SAF and the paramilitary RSF had previously agreed at talks in Jeddah to protect civilians and facilitate humanitarian access. “There are no exceptions to the laws of war,” Lammy said. “It is their responsibility to enforce these commitments.”

The conflict in Sudan, which began in April 2023, has resulted in a devastating humanitarian crisis, displacing millions and leaving many dead.