September 29, 2016

Meanwhile in Darfur: Chemical weapons against civilians

located:	Sudan
editor:	Murat Suner

According to Amnesty International's investigation at least 30 suspected chemical attacks by Sudanese government forces have taken place in Jebel Marra - one the most remote parts of Darfur this year.

The human rights organization has gathered shattering evidence strongly suggesting the repeated use of chemical weapons against civilians, including very young children.

As known from many incidents targeting civilians in war zones, the effects of these chemicals on the human body are gruesome and frequently fatal.

Based on testimony from caregivers and survivors, Amnesty International estimates that between 200 and 250 people may have died as a result of exposure to chemical weapons agents. Many – or most – are children.

In the shadow of the ongoing attacks on civilians in the Syrian civil war these harrowing human rights violations taking place in Jebel Marra are being widely ignored.

Tirana Hassan, Amnesty International’s Director of Crisis Research, said “It is hard to exaggerate just how cruel the effects of these chemicals are when they come into contact with the human body."

Chemical weapons have been banned for decades in recognition of the fact that the level of suffering they cause can never be justified.

The fact that Sudan’s government is now repeatedly using them against their own people simply cannot be ignored and demands action.

See the Amnesty video here. Note: The video contains disturbing images