Movies present the Sudanese military's use of chlorine gasoline as a weapon

[ad_1] “On April 24, 2025, the USA decided … that the Authorities of Sudan used chemical weapons in 2024.” That is how the US State Division opened its Could 22, 2025, assertion asserting financial sanctions in opposition to the Sudanese authorities, which is beneath army management. No additional particulars have been offered to assist the choice.

Khartoum denied the allegations the next day.

The New York Instances had cited US officers in January as saying that the Sudanese military had used chemical weapons “that appeared to make use of chlorine gasoline” in opposition to the RSF (Speedy Assist Forces) militia on at the very least two events in 2024. The officers gave no particulars.

Following the US sanctions announcement, a number of Arabic-language media retailers echoed these accusations. Unverified rumours and posts have circulated in Sudan, together with claims of chemical weapons use in Khartoum. However till now, no documentary proof of the military’s use of chlorine gasoline – or every other chemical weapon – has been made public.

Utilizing open-source investigation methods (OSINT), the FRANCE 24 Observers crew in Paris examined two incidents in September 2024 in and close to the al-Jaili oil refinery, north of Khartoum, which the military was trying to recapture from the RSF. After reviewing photographs of the assaults gathered by the Observers, 5 specialists confirmed they have been in step with aerial drops of chlorine barrels. Solely the Sudanese military possesses the plane wanted for such bombardments.

The Observers crew additionally traced the origin of one of many chlorine barrels used within the assaults. Imported from India by a Sudanese firm that gives provides to the Sudanese military, the chlorine was meant, in keeping with the Indian exporter, “solely for remedy of ingesting water”. Chlorine is a much-needed humanitarian product in Sudan, vital for purifying water in a rustic susceptible to cholera outbreaks.

The army use of chlorine would place Sudan among the many few regimes to have deployed this rudimentary deadly gasoline since World Conflict I, throughout which it was used on a big scale. Extra lately, in the course of the Syrian civil struggle, the world chemical watchdog, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), discovered “affordable grounds” to conclude that Bashar al-Assad’s regime used weaponised chlorine in rebel-held areas.

The 2 documented assaults in Sudan would additionally represent a breach of the nation's worldwide obligations beneath the Chemical Weapons Conference, which it ratified in 1999. Using “asphyxiating, toxic or different gases” on the battlefield can be labeled as a struggle crime beneath the 1998 Rome Statute, which defines offences that the Worldwide Felony Courtroom (ICC) can prosecute – although Sudan doesn't recognise the courtroom’s jurisdiction.

On the time of publication, neither the Sudanese military nor the federal government had responded to FRANCE 24's requests for interviews.

The al-Jaili refinery was the goal of chemical assaults: RSF Following the announcement of the US sanctions in Could, pro-RSF accounts on social media circulated photographs which they claimed confirmed the Sudanese military’s use of “chemical weapons”.

A few of these posts alleged that the assaults had taken place on the al-Jaili refinery in September 2024. The power, which processes crude oil, is situated 60 kilometres north of Khartoum. Operated in peacetime by the state-owned Khartoum Refinery Firm, it's the largest refinery in Sudan and important to the nation’s gasoline provide.

<img fetchpriority="low" src="https://s.france24.com/media/display/31ea66dc-a446-11f0-a490-005056a97e36/w:980/Soudan-Khartoum-Obs-EN.jpg" srcset="https://s.france24.com/media/display/31ea66dc-a446-11f0-a490-005056a97e36/w:246/Soudan-Khartoum-Obs-EN.jpg 246w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/31ea66dc-a446-11f0-a490-005056a97e36/w:388/Soudan-Khartoum-Obs-EN.jpg 388w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/31ea66dc-a446-11f0-a490-005056a97e36/w:720/Soudan-Khartoum-Obs-EN.jpg 720w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/31ea66dc-a446-11f0-a490-005056a97e36/w:980/Soudan-Khartoum-Obs-EN.jpg 980w" sizes="(max-width: 1023px) calc(100vw - 32px), (min-width: 1024px) 850px" alt="The al-Jaili refinery is located 60 km north of Khartoum, the capital of Sudan." style="max-height:1063px" loading="lazy" class="a-img "/> The al-Jaili refinery is situated 60 km north of Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. © France Médias Monde graphic studio

The nation's civil struggle has disrupted the conventional operation of the refinery. The RSF occupied it quickly after the struggle started in April 2023, and a petroleum staff’ union mentioned in Could 2024 that it had been out of service since July 2023. The Sudanese military recaptured the power on January 25, 2025, after months of heavy preventing.

On September 13, 2024, on the top of the clashes over management of the refinery, the RSF issued a press release accusing the Sudanese military of focusing on the location with “an aerial bombardment by warplanes”, utilizing “missiles suspected of being fitted with poisonous gasoline, inflicting accidents and extreme respiratory misery amongst dozens of staff”.

Within the earlier days, movies had circulated on pro-RSF accounts displaying two yellow and inexperienced barrels discovered close to the refinery.

A video printed on Instagram on September 5, 2024 confirmed a barrel mendacity on sand, with a caption in Arabic: “The Sudanese military’s air power strikes civilians with weapons banned beneath worldwide regulation, loaded with poisonous and chemical gases.” Movies posted on September 13, 2024 confirmed an analogous barrel beneath a tree.

Different posts from the identical day confirmed staff receiving oxygen remedy.

<img fetchpriority="low" src="https://s.france24.com/media/display/6d7d74c2-a0a5-11f0-9a1a-005056bfb2b6/w:980/comparaison-deux-barils.png" srcset="https://s.france24.com/media/display/6d7d74c2-a0a5-11f0-9a1a-005056bfb2b6/w:246/comparaison-deux-barils.png 246w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/6d7d74c2-a0a5-11f0-9a1a-005056bfb2b6/w:388/comparaison-deux-barils.png 388w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/6d7d74c2-a0a5-11f0-9a1a-005056bfb2b6/w:720/comparaison-deux-barils.png 720w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/6d7d74c2-a0a5-11f0-9a1a-005056bfb2b6/w:980/comparaison-deux-barils.png 980w" sizes="(max-width: 1023px) calc(100vw - 32px), (min-width: 1024px) 850px" alt="Screenshots from videos published on September 5 and 13, 2024, show metal barrels which, according to those posting the footage, were used to carry out chemical attacks." style="max-height:850px" loading="lazy" class="a-img "/> Screenshots from movies printed on September 5 and 13, 2024, present metallic barrels which, in keeping with these posting the footage, have been used to hold out chemical assaults. © Observers The Observers investigated the photographs to confirm the RSF’s claims. Our crew was capable of geolocate the 2 barrels. The primary was in a army base that had been occupied by the RSF, 5 kilometres east of the refinery. The second was throughout the refinery itself.

September 5: A barrel and a yellow cloud in an RSF-held base On September 5, 2024, a pro-RSF account posted a one-minute video on Instagram displaying an arid panorama surrounded by buildings. A visibly broken barrel might be seen, bearing a yellow label with the phrases: “Oxidising agent 5.1.”

This video, posted on Instagram on September 5, 2024, reveals a inexperienced and yellow barrel bearing a label studying “Oxidising agent 5.1.” The Observers crew geolocated it to a army base 5 km east of the al-Jaili refinery. To show this content material from , you need to allow commercial monitoring and viewers measurement.

Settle for Handle my decisions A second video, posted on Could 23, 2025, following the announcement of US sanctions, reveals the identical barrel from a distinct angle. A person first movies a small crater within the floor, then a barrel a couple of metres away. He says:

“They fired one thing we don’t perceive—perhaps tear gasoline, perhaps one thing else ... It launched one thing yellow. We don’t know what it's.”

This video, posted by a pro-RSF account on Could 23, 2025, reveals the identical barrel and a crater a couple of metres away. To show this content material from , you need to allow commercial monitoring and viewers measurement.

Settle for Handle my decisions One other video paperwork the second when this “one thing yellow” is claimed to have escaped from the barrel. It reveals a cloud of that color, filmed on the identical location because the crater and the barrel. Though the one out there model of the video dates from Could 2025, it was doubtless filmed simply earlier than the barrel footage. A brand on the video signifies that it was initially posted by a pro-RSF propaganda account on X, now deleted however nonetheless lively on TikTok.

On this video filmed on the Garri army base, 5 km east of the al-Jaili refinery, a shiny yellow cloud might be seen spreading by way of the air. To show this content material from , you need to allow commercial monitoring and viewers measurement.

Settle for Handle my decisions All three movies have been filmed contained in the Garri army base, situated 5 km east of the al-Jaili refinery.

<img fetchpriority="low" src="https://s.france24.com/media/display/7a9620e2-a446-11f0-b638-005056bfb2b6/w:980/Plan-Base-EN.png" srcset="https://s.france24.com/media/display/7a9620e2-a446-11f0-b638-005056bfb2b6/w:246/Plan-Base-EN.png 246w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/7a9620e2-a446-11f0-b638-005056bfb2b6/w:388/Plan-Base-EN.png 388w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/7a9620e2-a446-11f0-b638-005056bfb2b6/w:720/Plan-Base-EN.png 720w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/7a9620e2-a446-11f0-b638-005056bfb2b6/w:980/Plan-Base-EN.png 980w" sizes="(max-width: 1023px) calc(100vw - 32px), (min-width: 1024px) 850px" alt="In both the video showing a yellow cloud (left, top and bottom) and the two videos showing a yellow and green barrel lying on sand (right), features can be matched with satellite images of the Garri base. These include distinctively shaped warehouses, a mosque and its minaret, and a power line." style="max-height:478px" loading="lazy" class="a-img "/> In each the video displaying a yellow cloud (left, high and backside) and the 2 movies displaying a yellow and inexperienced barrel mendacity on sand (proper), options might be matched with satellite tv for pc photographs of the Garri base. These embody distinctively formed warehouses, a mosque and its minaret, and an influence line. © France Médias Monde graphic studio The Observers additionally obtained photographs of the incident that weren't posted on social media. Filmed from completely different angles, they present males in RSF uniforms, confirming that the bottom was beneath militia management on the time of the incident and due to this fact a strategic goal for the military. Metadata from the photographer’s cellphone point out that the photographs have been recorded September 5, 2024 at 8:07 within the morning.

<img fetchpriority="low" src="https://s.france24.com/media/display/24fe57bc-a0a9-11f0-a6dc-005056bf30b7/w:980/Date-5-septembre.png" srcset="https://s.france24.com/media/display/24fe57bc-a0a9-11f0-a6dc-005056bf30b7/w:246/Date-5-septembre.png 246w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/24fe57bc-a0a9-11f0-a6dc-005056bf30b7/w:388/Date-5-septembre.png 388w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/24fe57bc-a0a9-11f0-a6dc-005056bf30b7/w:720/Date-5-septembre.png 720w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/24fe57bc-a0a9-11f0-a6dc-005056bf30b7/w:980/Date-5-septembre.png 980w" sizes="(max-width: 1023px) calc(100vw - 32px), (min-width: 1024px) 850px" alt="In this image, taken on September 5, 2024 and provided to the Observers, several men wearing the RSF's beige uniform can be seen in the area where the green and yellow barrel landed. Metadata from the photographer’s phone confirms the image was recorded at 8.07am that day." style="max-height:1024px" loading="lazy" class="a-img "/> On this picture, taken on September 5, 2024 and offered to the Observers, a number of males carrying the RSF's beige uniform might be seen within the space the place the inexperienced and yellow barrel landed. Metadata from the photographer’s cellphone confirms the picture was recorded at 8.07am that day. © Observers

A barrel designed to hold chlorine gasoline Though those that filmed the barrel claimed it had launched “some type of tear gasoline,” specialists say it contained a way more harmful substance: chlorine.

“These are clearly chlorine cylinders,” mentioned Dan Kaszeta, a specialist in chemical defence. “Any such container is used all around the world for water remedy.”

In contrast to many different chemical weapons, chlorine is extensively utilized in trade. When launched into the air, nevertheless, it causes fast suffocation and might be deadly. “It's what we name a dual-use good – its use determines whether or not it turns into a weapon,” defined Matteo Guidotti, a chemist and chemical weapons professional.

Frederik Coghe, a ballistics professional and professor on the Royal Navy Academy of Belgium, confirmed that the photographs from the Garri base present an industrial chlorine barrel.

The footage of the barrel additionally reveals a date, “20/5/24”, and a round metallic plate bearing a serial quantity: “GC-1983-1715.”

<img fetchpriority="low" src="https://s.france24.com/media/display/dde4f984-a0ae-11f0-ad4b-005056bf30b7/w:980/Design-sans-titre-2-3.png" srcset="https://s.france24.com/media/display/dde4f984-a0ae-11f0-ad4b-005056bf30b7/w:246/Design-sans-titre-2-3.png 246w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/dde4f984-a0ae-11f0-ad4b-005056bf30b7/w:388/Design-sans-titre-2-3.png 388w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/dde4f984-a0ae-11f0-ad4b-005056bf30b7/w:720/Design-sans-titre-2-3.png 720w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/dde4f984-a0ae-11f0-ad4b-005056bf30b7/w:980/Design-sans-titre-2-3.png 980w" sizes="(max-width: 1023px) calc(100vw - 32px), (min-width: 1024px) 850px" alt="This composite of screenshots from the video of the barrel shows its serial number as “GC-1983-1715.” The final digit, difficult to read, is a “5” with its upper bar partially erased." style="max-height:478px" loading="lazy" class="a-img "/> This composite of screenshots from the video of the barrel reveals its serial quantity as “GC-1983-1715.” The ultimate digit, troublesome to learn, is a “5” with its higher bar partially erased. © Observers The Observers traced this “GC-1983-1715” barrel to an Indian exporter, Chemtrade Worldwide Company. The corporate confirmed that the barrel was examined for the final time on Could 20, 2024, the date indicated on the barrel. A delivery doc signifies that it was a part of a consignment of 17 cylinders stuffed with liquid chlorine that have been loaded onto a vessel in Mumbai on July 14, 2024 for supply to Port Sudan. An e-mail acquired by Chemtrade signifies that the cargo was delivered in Port Sudan on August 17, 2024. The Indian provider mentioned the Sudanese importer had assured them the cylinders can be used “solely for ingesting water remedy.”

A low-hanging yellow cloud – ‘in step with chlorine gasoline’ Witness reviews of a yellow gasoline leaking from the barrel and video footage displaying a cloud of that color spreading within the space additional assist the speculation of a chlorine assault.

This video, initially posted by a pro-RSF propaganda account, reveals an intense yellow cloud spreading inside Garri army base. To show this content material from , you need to allow commercial monitoring and viewers measurement.

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Three specialists consulted by the Observers confirmed that the cloud is in step with a chlorine leak. “Its color is sort of an identical to what was noticed in Aqaba, Jordan,” mentioned Guidotti. On June 27, 2022, a chlorine container fell from a transport ship at Aqaba port, inflicting a large launch of gasoline that killed at the very least 14 individuals and injured 256 others.

<img fetchpriority="low" src="https://s.france24.com/media/display/e06fb548-a0b0-11f0-a850-005056bf30b7/w:980/Design-sans-titre-7.png" srcset="https://s.france24.com/media/display/e06fb548-a0b0-11f0-a850-005056bf30b7/w:246/Design-sans-titre-7.png 246w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/e06fb548-a0b0-11f0-a850-005056bf30b7/w:388/Design-sans-titre-7.png 388w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/e06fb548-a0b0-11f0-a850-005056bf30b7/w:720/Design-sans-titre-7.png 720w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/e06fb548-a0b0-11f0-a850-005056bf30b7/w:980/Design-sans-titre-7.png 980w" sizes="(max-width: 1023px) calc(100vw - 32px), (min-width: 1024px) 850px" alt="The colour of the gas at the Garri base, and the way it stays close to the ground, closely resemble footage from a chlorine gas accident on board a ship in Aqaba, Jordan in 2022." style="max-height:478px" loading="lazy" class="a-img "/> The color of the gasoline on the Garri base, and the best way it stays near the bottom, carefully resemble footage from a chlorine gasoline accident on board a ship in Aqaba, Jordan in 2022. © Observers

“The color of the cloud is in step with what we might anticipate to see if chlorine gasoline was used, with a particular greenish-yellow color,” added N. R. Jenzen-Jones, director of Armament Analysis Companies (ARES), a technical intelligence consultancy specialised in arms and munitions. “The cloud additionally displays the traits of a gasoline that's denser than air, hanging low over floor. That, too, is in step with chlorine gasoline,” he mentioned.

September 13: A ‘poisonous substance’ contained in the refinery Different movies shared by pro-RSF accounts on September 13, 2024 – eight days after the primary incident – present an analogous barrel, this time beneath a tree. Males current on the scene filmed the item from a number of angles. One in all them denounced what he described as the identical kind of assault because the one on the Garri army base.

“Final night time the aircraft attacked us, guys. They dropped a gasoline cylinder on us…. Because of God, we’re wonderful for now, nothing has occurred. Nevertheless it was with none doubt an airstrike.”

On this video printed on September 13, 2024, a inexperienced and yellow barrel is seen. In a caption to the video, the account that printed it claimed: “The air power bombed the houses of staff and staff on the Khartoum refinery with explosive barrels.” To show this content material from , you need to allow commercial monitoring and viewers measurement.

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One other video displaying the identical barrel, filmed by a second man, alleged that the results of the assault had been much more critical:

“Final night time, Friday September 13, the air power bombed the al-Jaili refinery. We, the employees and staff… have been bombed contained in the refinery by the air power. This barrel contained a poisonous substance that escaped and unfold within the air. Now a number of of us are in hospital, unconscious, in a really vital situation. A number of could die.”

A video posted on September 13, 2024, compiled photographs of the barrel that fell on the al-Jaili refinery, apparently for RSF propaganda functions. To show this content material from X (Twitter), you need to allow commercial monitoring and viewers measurement.

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Footage shared on social media on September 13 reveals at the very least six males – some carrying refinery uniforms – receiving oxygen remedy. There may be, nevertheless, no indication of deaths or critical accidents linked to the incident.

On this video, printed on September 13, 2024, a person movies at the very least six individuals in work uniforms being handled with oxygen. He says: "Greater than 20 staff fainted as a consequence of the usage of this poisonous gasoline … These staff are civilians who belong neither to the Speedy Assist Forces nor the military." To show this content material from , you need to allow commercial monitoring and viewers measurement.

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<img fetchpriority="low" src="https://s.france24.com/media/display/140a1e46-a43c-11f0-a06b-005056a97e36/w:980/image8-12.png" srcset="https://s.france24.com/media/display/140a1e46-a43c-11f0-a06b-005056a97e36/w:246/image8-12.png 246w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/140a1e46-a43c-11f0-a06b-005056a97e36/w:388/image8-12.png 388w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/140a1e46-a43c-11f0-a06b-005056a97e36/w:720/image8-12.png 720w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/140a1e46-a43c-11f0-a06b-005056a97e36/w:980/image8-12.png 980w" sizes="(max-width: 1023px) calc(100vw - 32px), (min-width: 1024px) 850px" alt="In the videos, beige uniforms marked “KRC” are visible. These are the uniforms of refinery staff, identical to those seen in archive photographs. The acronym stands for Khartoum Refinery Company, which manages the al-Jaili site." style="max-height:756px" loading="lazy" class="a-img "/> Within the movies, beige uniforms marked “KRC” are seen. These are the uniforms of refinery workers, an identical to these seen in archive pictures. The acronym stands for Khartoum Refinery Firm, which manages the al-Jaili web site. © Observers

The movies displaying uniformed males affected by the incident have been filmed on the refinery’s workers clinic.

<img fetchpriority="low" src="https://s.france24.com/media/display/3ff782da-a0b5-11f0-a4e9-005056bfb2b6/w:980/batiment-hopital-1.png" srcset="https://s.france24.com/media/display/3ff782da-a0b5-11f0-a4e9-005056bfb2b6/w:246/batiment-hopital-1.png 246w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/3ff782da-a0b5-11f0-a4e9-005056bfb2b6/w:388/batiment-hopital-1.png 388w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/3ff782da-a0b5-11f0-a4e9-005056bfb2b6/w:720/batiment-hopital-1.png 720w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/3ff782da-a0b5-11f0-a4e9-005056bfb2b6/w:980/batiment-hopital-1.png 980w" sizes="(max-width: 1023px) calc(100vw - 32px), (min-width: 1024px) 850px" alt="Buildings visible in the background of the videos showing workers affected by the September 13, 2024 attack match those that can be seen near the clinic." style="max-height:478px" loading="lazy" class="a-img "/> Buildings seen within the background of the movies displaying staff affected by the September 13, 2024 assault match these that may be seen close to the clinic. © Observers

Different photographs offered by witnesses allowed the barrel-under-the-tree footage to be geolocated contained in the refinery itself, amongst corrugated-roof buildings that seem like staff' housing quarters.

<img fetchpriority="low" src="https://s.france24.com/media/display/b475af58-a446-11f0-b6d7-005056a90284/w:980/Plan-Raffinerie-EN.png" srcset="https://s.france24.com/media/display/b475af58-a446-11f0-b6d7-005056a90284/w:246/Plan-Raffinerie-EN.png 246w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/b475af58-a446-11f0-b6d7-005056a90284/w:388/Plan-Raffinerie-EN.png 388w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/b475af58-a446-11f0-b6d7-005056a90284/w:720/Plan-Raffinerie-EN.png 720w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/b475af58-a446-11f0-b6d7-005056a90284/w:980/Plan-Raffinerie-EN.png 980w" sizes="(max-width: 1023px) calc(100vw - 32px), (min-width: 1024px) 850px" alt="Videos showing the barrel under a tree contain elements that are visible on satellite images of the al-Jaili refinery." style="max-height:478px" loading="lazy" class="a-img "/> Movies displaying the barrel beneath a tree include components which can be seen on satellite tv for pc photographs of the al-Jaili refinery. © France Médias Monde graphic studio

‘Individuals have been unconscious, or struggling to breathe’ The Observers spoke with a former engineer who was contained in the refinery on September 13, together with many different staff. For his security, his title has been withheld. Now residing overseas, he offered proof of his employment on the al-Jaili refinery, in addition to screenshots displaying that he had reported the incident to contacts on the morning of September 13. By cellphone, he mentioned:

“It was early, round 8am. I used to be in my room, the place we have been housed. I heard a aircraft coming, after which there was an enormous noise, like one thing falling. I went exterior with two buddies, and I noticed a number of smoke. Fortunately I wasn’t close to the zone. After half-hour, we went to see the place the place the projectiles had fallen. The individuals close to them have been unconscious, or having bother respiratory, and coughing. We helped them, with the safety workers, and took them to the refinery’s clinic.”

The engineer’s account is in step with the photographs and witness statements posted on-line. He additionally mentioned that a few of the victims died after the incident. The Observers crew was unable to verify this allegation, and no different sources point out any deaths in reference to the 2 incidents.

Chemical weapons specialist Dan Kaszeta additionally expressed warning about these assertions and the signs proven within the oxygen-treatment footage:

“The signs of chlorine gasoline publicity are comparatively generic, with few clearly identifiable indicators. In actuality, it is extremely troublesome to kill somebody with this gasoline when it's dispersed within the open air, on this approach. It's principally used as a powerful irritant, to power opponents out of shelters and make them susceptible to standard bombardment. That was the way it was principally utilized in Syria: throughout one chlorine assault in Douma, there have been many deaths, however that was as a result of the barrel exploded on the high of a constructing, asphyxiating these inside.”

The state of the barrels 'in step with a drop from excessive altitude' Accounts of an airdrop are corroborated by the movies of the occasion, by which a number of individuals discuss with “air power bombardments”.

Jenzen-Jones additionally considers this state of affairs believable:

“Both a helicopter or a fixed-wing plane might feasibly be used to ship a chlorine payload contained in an industrial gasoline cylinder. Chlorine cylinders are typically steady and inflexible, so they're pretty easy to move and ship out the again of a comparatively slow-moving plane of both kind. The influence with the bottom is mostly sufficient to rupture the varieties of industrial stress vessels that include chlorine gasoline. The problem for the person is that this sort of supply makes it very troublesome to focus on a particular army goal.”

Visible clues additionally assist the concept the chlorine barrels discovered on the Garri army base on September 5 and contained in the al-Jaili refinery on September 13 have been dropped from the air. For instance, the barrel at al-Jaili introduced down branches from the tree above it because it fell.

<img fetchpriority="low" src="https://s.france24.com/media/display/facaf474-a0bb-11f0-b9c8-005056bf30b7/w:980/footage-2-A.jpeg" srcset="https://s.france24.com/media/display/facaf474-a0bb-11f0-b9c8-005056bf30b7/w:246/footage-2-A.jpeg 246w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/facaf474-a0bb-11f0-b9c8-005056bf30b7/w:388/footage-2-A.jpeg 388w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/facaf474-a0bb-11f0-b9c8-005056bf30b7/w:720/footage-2-A.jpeg 720w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/facaf474-a0bb-11f0-b9c8-005056bf30b7/w:980/footage-2-A.jpeg 980w" sizes="(max-width: 1023px) calc(100vw - 32px), (min-width: 1024px) 850px" alt="In this image of the barrel found inside the al-Jaili refinery on September 13, 2024, a broken tree branch is visible above the barrel, probably crushed when the barrel fell from the sky." style="max-height:1133px" loading="lazy" class="a-img "/> On this picture of the barrel discovered contained in the al-Jaili refinery on September 13, 2024, a damaged tree department is seen above the barrel, in all probability crushed when the barrel fell from the sky. © Observers

The barrel discovered on the Garri base reveals soil embedded in a number of dents, suggesting they have been brought on by a violent influence with the bottom.

<img fetchpriority="low" src="https://s.france24.com/media/display/4a664d94-a0fd-11f0-ab14-005056bf30b7/w:980/Carr%C3%A9-container-3-1.png" srcset="https://s.france24.com/media/display/4a664d94-a0fd-11f0-ab14-005056bf30b7/w:246/Carr%C3%A9-container-3-1.png 246w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/4a664d94-a0fd-11f0-ab14-005056bf30b7/w:388/Carr%C3%A9-container-3-1.png 388w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/4a664d94-a0fd-11f0-ab14-005056bf30b7/w:720/Carr%C3%A9-container-3-1.png 720w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/4a664d94-a0fd-11f0-ab14-005056bf30b7/w:980/Carr%C3%A9-container-3-1.png 980w" sizes="(max-width: 1023px) calc(100vw - 32px), (min-width: 1024px) 850px" alt="In these stills taken from videos showing the barrel found on September 5, 2024, at the Garri military base, soil can be seen lodged at both ends of the cylinder." style="max-height:850px" loading="lazy" class="a-img "/> In these stills taken from movies displaying the barrel discovered on September 5, 2024, on the Garri army base, soil might be seen lodged at each ends of the cylinder. © Observers

The Observers confirmed these photographs to Frederik Coghe, a ballistics professional and professor on the Royal Navy Academy in Belgium. His evaluation:

“All of the containers sustained important deformations and injury in step with a drop from excessive altitude. No less than one container reveals main lateral abrasion, indicating a excessive horizontal pace in the mean time of floor influence. To acquire one of these deformation, the containers should have been dropped from a transport plane or a helicopter flying at excessive pace. Faking these deformations wouldn't be straightforward.”

This evaluation was echoed by Trevor Ball, a former US military explosive ordnance disposal technician who now runs an open-source investigation account on X:

“The situation of those cylinders is in step with the type of injury one would anticipate following an airdrop. The cylinders are deformed, however principally intact. […] In circumstances involving barrels of chemical substances dropped from plane, the crater measurement might be very small relying on altitude dropped, soil, and if the cylinders instantly hit the bottom or one other object, reminiscent of a tree, first.”

The Sudanese military is the one power within the nation with the aerial army capability to hold out airdrops of chlorine barrels which weigh greater than a tonne. RSF forces solely have drones for bombings, which can not carry hundreds exceeding 130kg.

Whereas the military lately focused cargo planes on the RSF-held Nyala airport in South Darfur, these plane have been used solely for transporting troops and army tools. There was no documented proof of the RSF conducting airstrikes with planes or helicopters, or utilizing such plane for fight functions.

'The explosion of any chlorine gasoline container will kill them slowly and silently' Airdrops of those barrels have been documented on social media by pro-RSF accounts from September 2024, however have been additionally reported by retailers and channels beneficial to the military.

On September 14, 2024, the day after the barrel fell contained in the refinery, a pro-army media outlet claimed: “Military aviation is attacking teams of militia fighters within the housing items of engineers and technicians on the al-Jaili refinery.” A Telegram channel that helps the Sudanese armed forces and counts almost 300,000 followers additionally reported air strikes on al-Jaili on September 13. That very same channel had earlier introduced strikes on the refinery on September 4, solely hours earlier than the incident on the Garri army base.

Different posts on the Telegram channel hinted that poisonous gasoline had been launched on the refinery. “Heavy artillery hearth and air bombardments on the al-Jaili refinery by Antonov plane and fighter jets. The setting will turn into insufferable there with the build-up of gases ensuing from burning oil and chemical substances… The explosion of any chlorine gasoline container will kill them slowly and silently,” learn one message from the channel on September 10.

Two days later, on the eve of the al-Jaili incident, the identical account boasted: “Resounding success within the testing of small ‘boum-ban’ within the space. The ‘claws’ [a nickname for RSF fighters] didn't final greater than 120 seconds.” The time period “boum-ban” (البمبان in Arabic) is utilized in Sudan to explain tear-gas bombs and seems to be an indirect reference to munitions using gasoline. Males on the Garri base on September 5 used the identical native time period when speaking concerning the chlorine barrel.

A video posted by a pro-RSF account on Could 23, 2025, displaying the barrel that fell on the Garri base on September 5, includes a commentator saying: “They fired one thing we don’t perceive, perhaps a ‘boum-ban’, perhaps one thing else.” To show this content material from , you need to allow commercial monitoring and viewers measurement.

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Two incidents appropriate with chlorine assaults, in keeping with 5 specialists Our investigation has discovered that industrial chlorine containers have been dropped from the air on at the very least two events within the neighborhood of the al-Jaili refinery, on September 5 and 13, 2024. On the time, the refinery was the scene of heavy preventing between the RSF and the Sudanese military.

<img fetchpriority="low" src="https://s.france24.com/media/display/aa555aae-a447-11f0-89ca-005056bfb2b6/w:980/Carte-Raffinerie-Base-EN.png" srcset="https://s.france24.com/media/display/aa555aae-a447-11f0-89ca-005056bfb2b6/w:246/Carte-Raffinerie-Base-EN.png 246w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/aa555aae-a447-11f0-89ca-005056bfb2b6/w:388/Carte-Raffinerie-Base-EN.png 388w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/aa555aae-a447-11f0-89ca-005056bfb2b6/w:720/Carte-Raffinerie-Base-EN.png 720w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/aa555aae-a447-11f0-89ca-005056bfb2b6/w:980/Carte-Raffinerie-Base-EN.png 980w" sizes="(max-width: 1023px) calc(100vw - 32px), (min-width: 1024px) 850px" alt="This map shows the locations of the two incidents around the al-Jaili complex in September 2024, where barrels of chlorine were dropped." style="max-height:478px" loading="lazy" class="a-img "/> This map reveals the places of the 2 incidents across the al-Jaili complicated in September 2024, the place barrels of chlorine have been dropped. © France Médias Monde graphic studio

In keeping with RSF statements and pro-army posts, the military recurrently bombarded the refinery and its environs in September 2024. Movies posted on the time present fires and substantial injury contained in the complicated. The military has persistently denied finishing up strikes on al-Jaili, as an alternative accusing the RSF of destroying the refinery whereas occupying it by setting deliberate fires.

5 specialists in chemical weapons and ballistics consulted by the Observers all mentioned that the photographs from Garri on September 5, 2024, and from the al-Jaili refinery on September 13 are appropriate with chlorine gasoline assaults. They famous, nevertheless, that these indicators fall wanting conclusive proof, and mentioned that definitive verification would require instant entry to the websites. Guidotti famous:

“Half-an-hour after a bombardment, it's already too late to gather proof of a chlorine assault, as a result of the gasoline disperses naturally inside minutes if there's any wind. In apply, that is in all probability the toughest type of chemical weapon to determine — we noticed that in the course of the Syrian civil struggle. The one actual answer can be blood assessments on uncovered individuals.”

Kaszeta expressed comparable warning:

“These movies will not be definitive proof. A yellow cloud, for instance, might be mimicked with a colored smoke grenade. There was one case within the Syrian civil struggle of a fabricated incident supposedly involving chlorine. I believe that these two occasions [were chlorine attacks], however you may’t say greater than that.”

Jenzen-Jones struck a barely completely different tone:

“On this case the proof is pretty convincing and factors in the direction of assaults utilizing chlorine gasoline as a weapon. The repurposing of poisonous industrial chemical substances in fight is a pattern that we've got noticed in latest a long time. In Syria, most prominently, there was an intensive sequence of assaults which weaponised chlorine by dropping industrial containers from the air. It's maybe, sadly, unsurprising to see this methodology of warfare adopted elsewhere.”

Sudanese authorities: 'There is no such thing as a proof of chemical or radioactive contamination in Khartoum State' The Observers contacted the Sudanese military and authorities for remark. We additionally tried to succeed in the US State Division to find out whether or not the sanctions introduced in Could 2025 have been primarily based on the incidents of September 5 and 13, 2024, at al-Jaili. A State Division spokesperson declined to remark, saying: “As is customary apply, we don't touch upon alleged intelligence reviews or focus on inside deliberations.”

After the US sanctions have been introduced on Could 22, 2025, the army-controlled Sudanese authorities mentioned it had fashioned a committee to analyze the accusations of chemical weapons use. The Sudanese well being ministry, nevertheless, printed a report in early September stating there was “no proof of chemical or radioactive contamination in Khartoum state,” the place the al-Jaili refinery is situated.

“If the usage of chemical weapons is confirmed, these accountable – each the perpetrators and decision-makers – might face prison legal responsibility, together with earlier than the Worldwide Felony Courtroom if the UN Safety Council so decides,” mentioned Julia Grignon, a world regulation specialist and scientific director on the Institut de Recherche Stratégique de l’Ecole Militaire, a analysis institute affiliated with the French Ministry of Defence. “That has been executed earlier than: an arrest warrant was issued in 2009 for former Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir.” Sudan doesn't recognise the ICC’s authority: regardless of the warrant, al-Bashir was by no means extradited and stays detained in his nation.

However how did these Indian industrial chlorine barrels find yourself in Sudan, for use as chemical weapons? To reply that query, the Observers traced their path. Our investigation discovered that they have been initially bought by an organization with ties to the Sudanese military, importing merchandise manufactured by corporations specialising in army tools and weaponry.