US Puts Sudan on a Short, Unwanted List

Top US officials say that Sudan's military leader has used chemical weapons—twice, reports the New York Times. The allegation against Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, which has been relayed to the UN, puts al-Burhan on a very short list of leaders who have deployed the banned weaponry since World War II. Only Syria and under Bashar al-Assad and Iraq under Saddam Hussein have been known to use the weapons in combat, according to a previous CNN story. Russia, meanwhile, has been accused of using nerve agents against political enemies.

The general reportedly used the weapons in two remote areas of the country while the Sudanese military battled paramilitaries aligned with the group Rapid Support Forces, which is fighting for control of the country. The fear, however, is that the weapons might be used in a far more populated region, including near the capital of Khartoum. Amnesty International accused Sudan of using chemical weapons in 2016, though the claims were not confirmed. The US is expected to announce sanctions against al-Burhan, the Times reports. Earlier this month, the State Department accused the RSF and allied militias of committing genocide and sanctioned the group's leader. (More Sudan stories.)