International

Amnesty Int’l says Sudanese forces killing civilians with chemical weapons

Published

8 years ago

September 29, 2016

Amnesty International has accused Sudanese forces of killing scores of civilians using chemical weapons in the Darfur region of the country.

According to reports by the group, an estimated number of 250 people including children have lost their lives as a result of exposure to chemical weapons agents in the Jebel Marra area since January.

Investigations according to the rights group 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.

“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 Hassan.

Amnesty said it had presented its findings to two independent chemical weapons experts.

“Both concluded that the evidence strongly suggested exposure to vesicants, or blister agents, such as the chemical warfare agents sulfur mustard, Lewisite or nitrogen mustard,” the watchdog said in a statement.

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