Intelligence documents and materials revealed by the New York Times have brought the issue of chemical weapons back to the forefront of the war in Sudan. The leaks provide new details regarding allegations that the Sudanese army has developed and produced chlorine-based munitions, at a time when the country faces a worsening health crisis, widespread hospital collapses, and outbreaks of epidemics, notably cholera.
According to the American newspaper's investigation, it obtained a cache of around 150 documents, photographs, videos, and audio recordings, alongside thousands of text messages extracted from the phones of senior Sudanese military officers.
The materials reportedly offer a detailed picture of a months-long covert project in 2024 to develop chlorine munitions, including bomb blueprints, designs, and communications related to production and testing.
The documents also indicate an attempted cover-up after the project was discovered by the United States. Furthermore, a portion of the chlorine used in manufacturing the munitions was allegedly acquired by the military from a civilian water treatment facility that had received the chemical as part of international aid.
Secret project to produce chlorine munitions
According to the New York Times, the concept of weaponizing chlorine emerged as fighting intensified around Khartoum in 2024. Brigadier General Tariq Hussein, who the documents identify as the head of the chlorine munitions project, proposed using the substance to secure a battlefield advantage.
Intercepted communications reveal that Hussein shared preliminary designs with other officers for munitions combining an explosive warhead with a large quantity of chlorine, before overseeing an assembly facility for the prototypes.
Intelligence materials indicate that on 22 July 2024, an Antonov cargo plane took off from Merowe airport, north of Khartoum, to test the new munitions.
The newspaper states this information reached the US, and intelligence officials treated it seriously during an early 2025 assessment of Sudan's chemical weapons capabilities. Intelligence regarding army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan's knowledge of the project was reportedly among the factors Washington considered before imposing sanctions on him in January 2025.
Health crisis in an exhausted nation
These revelations come as Sudan experiences one of its worst health crises since the war began, with many hospitals and medical facilities out of service, alongside severe shortages of medicines, equipment, and medical staff.
Following a field visit by its Sudan representative, Dr Abdinasir Abubakar, the World Health Organization (WHO) stressed on Monday the urgent need to rehabilitate three major referral and teaching hospitals in Khartoum state.
The WHO noted that Khartoum Teaching Hospital, the Eye Hospital, and the Dental Hospital—formerly primary reference institutions—have suffered extensive damage to buildings and medical equipment.
Dr Abubakar explained that operating theatres have been destroyed, imaging equipment lost, and entire wards have collapsed, rendering them out of service. He warned that several buildings require structural repairs before they can safely admit patients. The WHO states this scene reflects, to varying degrees, the damage inflicted on health facilities across other regions of Sudan.
Cholera and other epidemics
The health system's collapse coincides with the spread of infectious diseases, exacerbated by the rainy season. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has warned of multiple disease outbreaks, primarily cholera in Darfur and Kordofan, while Blue Nile state has recorded hundreds of new dengue fever cases.
Thousands of viral hepatitis infections and dozens of deaths have also been reported in Blue Nile and Al Jazirah states. UNICEF’s representative in Sudan, Sheldon Yett, previously warned that continued population displacement could geographically expand the cholera outbreak.
Alongside epidemic diseases, local reports are increasingly documenting respiratory and skin conditions in bombarded areas.
Testimonies from Nyala
These concerns are amplified by field testimonies from the city of Nyala, the headquarters of the "Ta'sees" (Sudanese Founding Coalition) government. According to eyewitness accounts and local testimonies, individuals have reported experiencing suffocation, breathing difficulties, skin inflammations, and peeling following certain airstrikes.
Local doctors reported receiving cases they suspect may involve chemical exposure; however, these reported symptoms currently serve as testimonies from the victims rather than confirmed medical proof of chemical deployment. One physician noted that the emergence of these skin and respiratory symptoms after bombings prompted medical staff to subject victims' clothing to laboratory tests to search for chemical traces.
Rihab Mubarak, a member of the Emergency Lawyers group, stated that testimonies she collected regarding the Nyala attacks indicate the suspected use of internationally banned weapons against civilian areas.
Mounting evidence and multiple investigations
The allegations extend beyond the New York Times investigation. The Washington Post has published information and documents concerning chemical weapon use in Sudan, while a France 24 investigation examined open-source evidence linked to suspected chemical attacks.
These investigations follow a formal US stance regarding the Sudanese army's use of chemical weapons, elevating the issue from mutual accusations between warring factions into an international matter requiring an independent and transparent inquiry.
As these developments coincide with the collapse of the health sector and the spread of cholera and other diseases, the risks facing Sudanese civilians are multiplying. They are caught between a protracted war that has decimated health infrastructure and mounting allegations of the use of banned chemical substances.
Distinguishing between the impacts of epidemics caused by the collapse of water, sanitation, and medical services, and potential harm resulting from chemical exposure remains a critical medical and investigative task, particularly given the expanding war and the lack of independent access to many affected areas.
