Info page: CHEMICAL WEAPONS USE
This would be the first in a serious of series of articles with a more complete set of information on a specific topic. Links to specific articles are also provided to give access to more info on a specific aspect. Each heading contains a link to the full article. The info on each article is all quoted from the original articles, just for ease of reference.
"The U.N. peacekeeping chief called on the government of Sudan on Tuesday to cooperate with the international chemical weapons watchdog in any investigation of alleged chemical weapons use in the Darfur region.
Herve Ladsous told the U.N. Security Council that peacekeepers from the U.N.-African Union force in Darfur have been denied access to the area in Jebel Marra where Amnesty International alleged that at least 30 chemical attacks have taken place since January.
"We were very much alarmed by the allegations," Ladsous told reporters.
Sudan is a party to the Chemical Weapons Convention banning the use of toxic chemicals."
On Thursday, Amnesty International released a report saying that Khartoum repeatedly used chemical weapons against civilians in Darfur’s Jebel Marra. Using satellite imagery, more than 200 in-depth interviews with survivors and expert analysis of dozens of appalling images showing babies and young children with terrible injuries, the investigation indicates that at least 30 likely chemical attacks have taken place in the Jebel Marra area since January this year.
In response to the report, the spokesman for the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), Mubarak Ardol, told Radio Dabanga that the movement is currently discussing the option to halt the peace talks with the government.
The leader of the mainstream Sudan Liberation Movement, Abdelwahid El Nur stressed that the Khartoum regime “has crossed all red lines with its use of chemical weapons in Jebel Marra”. He called it “a second wave of ethnic cleansing”.
El Nur called on the armed movements negotiating a cessation of hostilities in Darfur, Blue Nile, and South Kordofan, “to stop talking with the Khartoum and join forces in order to uproot this regime”.
The rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) confirmed the government’s use of internationally banned weapons “on a very large scale in Darfur. This again proves that Khartoum is repeatedly ignoring international treaties,” JEM spokesman Jibril Adam Bilal told this station.
"An Amnesty International investigation has gathered horrific evidence of the repeated use of what are believed to be chemical weapons against civilians, including very young children, by Sudanese government forces in one of the most remote regions of Darfur over the past eight months," says a report released by the group.
According to the report, between 200 and 250 people (including many children) probably died due to exposure to the chemical weapons.
“The scale and brutality of these attacks is hard to put into words. The images and videos we have seen in the course of our research are truly shocking; in one a young child is screaming with pain before dying; many photos show young children covered in lesions and blisters. Some were unable to breathe and vomiting blood,” said Tirana Hassan, Amnesty International’s Director of Crisis Research.
However, in Khartoum the Sudanese army spokesperson Ahmed Khalifa al-Shami Amnesty accusation and described it as false.
The UK-based rights group, which said that its investigation was based on satellite imagery and more than 200 interviews, alleged that the most recent attack occurred on September 9.
"There have been relentless attacks, there have been crimes against humanity, and now this level of viciousness with the use of suspected chemical weapons," Tirana Hassan, Amnesty's director of Crisis Research, told Al Jazeera.
Sudan: Credible evidence of the use of chemical weapons to kill and main hundreds of civilians including children in Darfur revealed.
This link contains a 109 page detailed report by Amnesty International on the use of Chemival weapons and more by Sudanese Armed Forces.
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This would be the first in a serious of series of articles with a more complete set of information on a specific topic. Links to specific articles are also provided to give access to more info on a specific aspect. Each heading contains a link to the full article. The info on each article is all quoted from the original articles, just for ease of reference.
"New York - Rights group Amnesty International on Thursday accused Sudanese government forces of killing scores of civilians, including many children, in suspected chemical weapons attacks in a mountainous area of war-torn Darfur.
More than 30 such attacks are believed to have been carried out on several villages as part of a massive military campaign against rebels in Darfur's Jebel Marra between January and September, Amnesty said in a report.
More than 30 such attacks are believed to have been carried out on several villages as part of a massive military campaign against rebels in Darfur's Jebel Marra between January and September, Amnesty said in a report.
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This victim's right arm shows large circular lesions with some scarring. The top layer of skin from one of the wounds has come off showing healing skin. These wounds appear to be healing normally. There are also pimple-like nodules seen between these scars, and there is a linear scar on the top of the hand near the wrist. This photo was taken two weeks after exposure. The circular nature of these lesions is consistent with healing blisters that might be observed after exposure to a chemical warfare blister agent (vesicant) such as sulphur mustard. These wounds are atypical in some ways for blister agents and might have been caused by exposure to other chemicals or a combination of chemicals. 2016 ©Amnesty International |
"An Amnesty International investigation has gathered horrific evidence of the repeated use of what are believed to be chemical weapons against civilians, including very young children, by Sudanese government forces in one of the most remote regions of Darfur over the past eight months," Amnesty said.
"Between 200 and 250 people may have died as a result of exposure to the chemical weapons agents, with many or most being children," said the report.
Amnesty said government forces also carried out "indiscriminate bombing of civilians unlawful killing of men, women and children and the abduction and rape of women" in Jebel Marra, home to Darfur's most fertile land."
"Between 200 and 250 people may have died as a result of exposure to the chemical weapons agents, with many or most being children," said the report.
Amnesty said government forces also carried out "indiscriminate bombing of civilians unlawful killing of men, women and children and the abduction and rape of women" in Jebel Marra, home to Darfur's most fertile land."
"The use of chemical weapons is a war crime. The evidence we have gathered is credible and portrays a regime that is intent on directing attacks against the civilian population in Darfur without any fear of international retribution," said Tirana Hassan, Amnesty International’s director of Crisis Research.”
"The government is obliged to provide UNAMID with full and unhindered freedom of movement throughout Darfur under the terms of its Status-of-Forces Agreement with the United Nations … We continue to urge it to do so,” the official added.
“The government of Sudan makes it nearly impossible for journalists to report from Darfur,” said award-winning photojournalist Adriane Ohanesian, one of the few foreign journalists to gain access to Jebel Marra last year. “Obtaining any information from these regions in Darfur is an endless struggle.”
EU Parliament calls for international investigation on use of chemical weapons in Darfur
“The government of Sudan makes it nearly impossible for journalists to report from Darfur,” said award-winning photojournalist Adriane Ohanesian, one of the few foreign journalists to gain access to Jebel Marra last year. “Obtaining any information from these regions in Darfur is an endless struggle.”
EU Parliament calls for international investigation on use of chemical weapons in Darfur
"The European Union Parliament Thursday condemned the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Sudanese government forces in Jebel Marra area and called for an international investigation on the matter.
Last week Amnesty International reported that over 200 people had been killed in Darfur Jele Marra area by banned chemical weapons since January 2016. But the government denied the claims.
The group published pictures and accounts of 56 witnesses of the alleged chemical attack who spoke about "poisonous smoke" vomit blood, struggle to breathe and watch as their skin falls off.
The European Union "deplores the use of chemical weapons against civilians in the Jebel Marra area of Darfur by the Sudanese Government and highlights that this is a serious violation of international norms and also a war crime," said a resolution endorsed by all the seven groups of EU parliament.
The parliament "recalls that Sudan is a party to the Chemical Weapons Convention and calls for an international investigation into these allegations led by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW); reminds the Sudanese authorities of their responsibility to protect human rights."
The European Union "deplores the use of chemical weapons against civilians in the Jebel Marra area of Darfur by the Sudanese Government and highlights that this is a serious violation of international norms and also a war crime," said a resolution endorsed by all the seven groups of EU parliament.
The parliament "recalls that Sudan is a party to the Chemical Weapons Convention and calls for an international investigation into these allegations led by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW); reminds the Sudanese authorities of their responsibility to protect human rights."
"The U.N. peacekeeping chief called on the government of Sudan on Tuesday to cooperate with the international chemical weapons watchdog in any investigation of alleged chemical weapons use in the Darfur region.
Herve Ladsous told the U.N. Security Council that peacekeepers from the U.N.-African Union force in Darfur have been denied access to the area in Jebel Marra where Amnesty International alleged that at least 30 chemical attacks have taken place since January.
"We were very much alarmed by the allegations," Ladsous told reporters.
"The United Nations peacekeeping chief on Tuesday urged Sudan to shed light on allegations of chemical weapons attacks in Darfur, but Russia said the claims must not be taken seriously.
Herve Ladsous said he was "very alarmed" by an Amnesty International report that accused Sudanese government forces of carrying out more than 30 chemical attacks this year in villages of Darfur's Jebel Marra region.
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said in response to the report released last week that it would require further information and evidence to push ahead with a formal investigation. "
Opposition: ‘Chemical warfare in Darfur could halt Sudan peace talks’
Herve Ladsous said he was "very alarmed" by an Amnesty International report that accused Sudanese government forces of carrying out more than 30 chemical attacks this year in villages of Darfur's Jebel Marra region.
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said in response to the report released last week that it would require further information and evidence to push ahead with a formal investigation. "
Opposition: ‘Chemical warfare in Darfur could halt Sudan peace talks’
On Thursday, Amnesty International released a report saying that Khartoum repeatedly used chemical weapons against civilians in Darfur’s Jebel Marra. Using satellite imagery, more than 200 in-depth interviews with survivors and expert analysis of dozens of appalling images showing babies and young children with terrible injuries, the investigation indicates that at least 30 likely chemical attacks have taken place in the Jebel Marra area since January this year.
In response to the report, the spokesman for the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), Mubarak Ardol, told Radio Dabanga that the movement is currently discussing the option to halt the peace talks with the government.
The leader of the mainstream Sudan Liberation Movement, Abdelwahid El Nur stressed that the Khartoum regime “has crossed all red lines with its use of chemical weapons in Jebel Marra”. He called it “a second wave of ethnic cleansing”.
El Nur called on the armed movements negotiating a cessation of hostilities in Darfur, Blue Nile, and South Kordofan, “to stop talking with the Khartoum and join forces in order to uproot this regime”.
The rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) confirmed the government’s use of internationally banned weapons “on a very large scale in Darfur. This again proves that Khartoum is repeatedly ignoring international treaties,” JEM spokesman Jibril Adam Bilal told this station.
France said on Friday it wanted an international investigation to decide whether Sudanese government forces had used chemical weapons in Darfur after allegations in a "worrying" report by Amnesty International.
The rights group said on Thursday the government has carried out at least 30 likely chemical weapons attacks in the Jebel Marra area of Darfur since January using what two experts concluded was a probable blister agent.
Foreign ministry spokesman Romain Nadal, describing the report as "worrying", said it carried very serious allegations which had to be investigated.
"We think that the report raises questions for the international community and so the relevant institutions should look closely into it and examine the seriousness of the claims to establish the reality," he told reporters.
The rights group said on Thursday the government has carried out at least 30 likely chemical weapons attacks in the Jebel Marra area of Darfur since January using what two experts concluded was a probable blister agent.
Foreign ministry spokesman Romain Nadal, describing the report as "worrying", said it carried very serious allegations which had to be investigated.
"We think that the report raises questions for the international community and so the relevant institutions should look closely into it and examine the seriousness of the claims to establish the reality," he told reporters.
"An Amnesty International investigation has gathered horrific evidence of the repeated use of what are believed to be chemical weapons against civilians, including very young children, by Sudanese government forces in one of the most remote regions of Darfur over the past eight months," says a report released by the group.
According to the report, between 200 and 250 people (including many children) probably died due to exposure to the chemical weapons.
“The scale and brutality of these attacks is hard to put into words. The images and videos we have seen in the course of our research are truly shocking; in one a young child is screaming with pain before dying; many photos show young children covered in lesions and blisters. Some were unable to breathe and vomiting blood,” said Tirana Hassan, Amnesty International’s Director of Crisis Research.
However, in Khartoum the Sudanese army spokesperson Ahmed Khalifa al-Shami Amnesty accusation and described it as false.
Sudan's government has been accused of killing scores of civilians this year in at least 30 suspected chemical weapons attacks in a remote area of the country's Darfur region.
In a report released on Thursday, Amnesty International estimated that up to 250 people, including many children, may have died as a result of exposure to the chemical weapons agents in the Jebel Marra area since January.
In a report released on Thursday, Amnesty International estimated that up to 250 people, including many children, may have died as a result of exposure to the chemical weapons agents in the Jebel Marra area since January.
The UK-based rights group, which said that its investigation was based on satellite imagery and more than 200 interviews, alleged that the most recent attack occurred on September 9.
"There have been relentless attacks, there have been crimes against humanity, and now this level of viciousness with the use of suspected chemical weapons," Tirana Hassan, Amnesty's director of Crisis Research, told Al Jazeera.
Sudan: Credible evidence of the use of chemical weapons to kill and main hundreds of civilians including children in Darfur revealed.
This link contains a 109 page detailed report by Amnesty International on the use of Chemival weapons and more by Sudanese Armed Forces.
