Sudan’s military leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burham. Documents reviewed by The Washington Post and allegations cited by a Sudanese rights group point to a suspected Sudanese army programme involving chlorine munitions and the diversion of water-treatment supplies. The claims require careful attribution and independent verification, writes Bayethe Msimang.
The information revealed by The New York Times and The Washington Post has raised concerns that the Sudanese army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, may have exploited international relief materials in the production of chemical weapons that it continues to use in the ongoing war in the country.
The Sudanese National Observatory for Human Rights said in a statement that it was once again affirming “what it has continued to repeat since the beginning of the war: that the Sudanese army has used chemical weapons against civilians and continues to use them systematically, in a grave violation of international humanitarian law and a direct threat to the lives of civilians, the environment, and natural resources.”
The Observatory said: “We have reviewed a grave dossier containing around 150 documents, photographs, videos, and audio recordings, in addition to thousands of text messages, revealed by The New York Times, reinforcing the evidence of a secret military program to produce chlorine-based munitions and use them in populated areas.”
