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🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates /Conflict & Security

Secret Dossier Adds to Evidence of Chemical Weapons in Sudan

From Khaleej Times · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Unnamed sources Under investigation
  • A dossier containing photographs, videos, documents and intercepted communications alleges that a secret Sudanese military unit developed chlorine-based munitions during six months in 2024.
  • The material reportedly includes bomb blueprints and evidence of an effort to conceal the project after its discovery by the United States.
  • Sudan’s military rejected the findings as baseless, while experts said the material appeared plausible but required an impartial investigation on the ground.

A secret dossier shared with The New York Times portrays a Sudanese military unit developing chlorine-based munitions in the desert, using materials allegedly taken from a civilian water treatment plant in the war-torn capital.

The dossier includes nearly 150 documents, photographs, videos and voice notes, along with thousands of text messages. It describes secret bomb tests, dead scorpions found inside a weapons factory and chlorine canisters taken from a water treatment facility. The material also contains bomb blueprints and details of an apparent effort to cover up the project after the United States discovered it.

The alleged program operated for six months in 2024, according to the dossier. The weapons were reportedly intended for use against the Rapid Support Forces, the paramilitary group fighting Sudan’s army for control of the country. Some of the dossier’s visuals were shared with US intelligence and helped US officials assess in January 2025 whether Sudan possessed chemical weapons, according to two foreign officials and a former US official who discussed sensitive intelligence anonymously.

Voice and text messages involving Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, Sudan’s military chief, allegedly suggest that he knew directly about the effort. The allegation became a key factor in the US decision to sanction him in January 2025. Sudan’s military has long denied US accusations that it used chemical weapons, and a military spokesperson called the dossier “baseless and without material foundation.” He also threatened legal action against the Times in a US court.

Experts who reviewed images from the dossier said they showed a plausible chemical weapons effort, but warned that only an investigation by impartial experts inside Sudan could confirm the claims. The episode has drawn far less international scrutiny than chemical attacks during Syria’s civil war, which prompted global outrage and US strikes in 2017 and 2018.

baseless and without material foundation

· Sudanese military spokespersonThe spokesperson rejected the dossier’s findings and threatened legal action against The New York Times.
About this summary

Originally published by Khaleej Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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