The Long Road Ahead for You!

Manazeer, Saturday October 10, 2026. Zuhair Al-Sarraj, manazzeer@yahoo.com. The pace of escalation at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) against the putschist authority in Sudan for its use of internationally banned chemical weapons has intensified, widening the scope of international pursuit and demands to uncover the truth. The United States, Germany, Australia, Finland, and Belgium raised the issue before the organization's Executive Council in The Hague during its recent sessions this October, demanding that the Sudanese authority provide clear information regarding the accusations and cooperate with the organization in verifying them. The American delegate emphasized Sudan's non-compliance with the convention prohibiting the use of chemical weapons, while the German representative pointed to the possibility of an undeclared chemical program. Australia addressed the issue of storage and use, while Belgium demanded additional information, stating that the Sudanese responses do not correspond to the gravity of the circulating reports. Finland directly called for holding those responsible for the crime accountable. All these demands place the Burhan government before clear questions that allow no room for lies or denials: What happened during 2024, what was the nature of the materials used, where were they used, who issued the orders, and who executed them? As everyone knows, the American newspapers The New York Times and The Washington Post previously published two separate investigations based on documents, photos, video clips, and messages attributed to senior army officers regarding the development of explosives based on chlorine gas. According to The New York Times, the materials examined by experts include evidence of a project to develop chemical weapons during six months of 2024. The newspaper also indicated Burhan's knowledge of the project, which are serious accusations requiring an independent investigation and the determination of responsibilities based on evidence. If it is proven that the army used chemical weapons against civilians, those responsible must be held accountable, regardless of their positions. The United States had already taken measures against Sudan; in May 2025, it announced sanctions on Burhan and the putschist authority due to the use of chemical weapons, then announced additional measures in June of the same year, demanding that the Burhan government submit a comprehensive declaration of its chemical program and allow the OPCW to verify the information and the sites involved. The putschist authority responded by forming a Sudanese investigation committee, which did nothing and cannot under any circumstances replace an independent international investigation. If the government is confident in the integrity of its position, it must provide the required information and cooperate with the organization instead of settling for denials or an investigation that lacks guarantees of independence and transparency. Furthermore, it is not permissible to use the crimes of the Rapid Support Forces, however heinous, to justify the crime of using internationally banned weapons; accountability is not based on favoring one side of the war over the other, nor does it absolve one party of responsibility due to the crimes of the other. The putschist Burhan must understand that this case concerns international laws and obligations, and that refusing to cooperate or concealing information will not erase the accusations. As new evidence and documents emerge and countries advance additional demands, the pursuit, chasing, and insistence on providing sufficient and full answers to the questions raised—questions that will not remain questions forever—will only increase! Burhan may bet on time and the international community's preoccupation with other crises, or on the developments of the war and their repercussions on this heinous crime, but the sanctions will remain in place, the international demands will continue, and the investigations will open the door every day to new questions about the nature of the chemical program and the entities that oversaw it, etc. What is required now is to reveal the full truth, identify those responsible, and hold everyone proven guilty accountable. As for denials, lies, and evasion of answers, they will not benefit Burhan at all, and he will eventually find himself pursued and fleeing like a panicked rat, just like his ousted predecessor Omar al-Bashir. The post 'The Long Road Ahead for You!' appeared first on Sudanile.