How US meddling split Sudan, creating an oil republic drowning in poverty and conflict
GrayzoneMAY 2022
US Sanctions Sudan Over Alleged Chemical Weapons Use
Above: Sudan's army chief General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan (C), Minni Minawi (L), governor of Sudan's Darfur region, and Sudan's Minister of Telecommunications and Digital Transformation Adel Hassan Mohamed (R) attend a conference in Port Sudan, Feb. 17, 2025. Image copyright: AFP via Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
The chemical weapons determination and sanctions are a necessary response to escalating atrocities by Sudan's military, which has engaged in indiscriminate bombing of civilian infrastructure, including schools, markets, and hospitals while using food deprivation as a weapon of war. Moreover, accusing Washington of taking sides is ridiculous, as the RSF was also sanctioned. The government's refusal to participate in peace talks shows its commitment to military solutions over negotiations.
Establishment-critical narrative
The sanctions timing and chemical weapons claims are politically motivated to distract from recent Congressional campaigns against UAE involvement in the Sudan conflict, with the U.S. neglecting to pursue a proper investigation by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. The move undermines Sudan's legitimate fight against paramilitary forces that threaten national stability and reflects the bipartisan U.S. strategy of control by promoting destruction and chaos.