Report: Sudanese Army Accused of Using Chemical Weapons in Umm Qarfa, North Kurdofan

ARK News.. Local community leaders and residents in Umm Qarfa, North Kurdofan State, have alleged that a Sudanese military Antonov aircraft dropped unusual munitions over the area on Saturday, July 18, 2026, producing colored smoke, strong odors, and other unusual effects after impact.

According to Sky News Arabia, witnesses said the aircraft initially dropped munitions that caused powerful explosions and thick black smoke, followed by additional projectiles that released yellow smoke and emitted a strong, pungent odor near the impact site.

The reported incident comes days after a new round of U.S. sanctions against the authorities in Port Sudan entered into force under the second phase of measures outlined in the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act.

The sanctions followed the United States' first official determination that the Sudanese military used chemical weapons during 2024, in the context of the conflict that has continued since April 2023.

In the first public response from an official in the Peace Government, which is based in Nyala, Ezzaddin al-Safi, head of the government's Humanitarian Access Authority under the presidential council led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), called for an urgent, independent international investigation into what he described as a "chemical attack" on Umm Qarfa.

The allegations have not been independently verified, and no official confirmation has been issued by impartial international investigators.

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