African NGOs demand Sudan permit OPCW inspections amid war-time chemical weapons claims

During a summit of African civil-society organisations in Dakar, participants passed a resolution urging the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights to demand that Sudan grant the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons entry to investigate accusations that the Sudanese army employed chemical agents against the Rapid Support Forces. The NGOs asked Sudan to reveal any production facilities and the location of chemical munitions for OPCW verification and disposal.

The document also denounced massive war crimes and crimes against humanity by both combatants and called for a ceasefire overseen by an independent international body, as well as a halt to foreign weapons, funding and diplomatic support. Washington has previously sanctioned Sudan for alleged chemical-weapon use, a claim the Sudanese foreign ministry rejects. The war has displaced about 16 million people and left over 20 million facing hunger since it began in April 2023.