In a report released last month, Amnesty International has documented the use of suspected chemical weapons by Sudanese government forces against civilians, including very young children, in Jebel Marra, one of the most remote regions of Darfur over the past eight months. Between 200 and 250 people may have died as a result of exposure to the chemical weapons agents.
You can read the report on this page.
We immediately tweeted about this report and forwarded it to our Members and contacts to spread the word about it. You can read the news we published on September, 30 here. We also asked our followers to tweet about this report:
https://twitter.com/MagkaSama/status/789147921828700160
A few days later, a petition (in French) was launched by Collectif Urgence Darfour and addressed to Prince Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; we of course signed this petition, please sign it if you didn’t already:
https://twitter.com/MagkaSama/status/785477988309663745
Since the release of Amnesty’s report, we have been contacting our representatives and members of the press. Organizations join forces:
https://twitter.com/MagkaSama/status/789147669541294080
Last week we signed a letter to UNHRC coordinated by Waging Peace calling for chemical weapons investigation in Darfur:
https://twitter.com/WagingPeaceUK/status/788354861591134208
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) whose mission is to implement the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in order to achieve the OPCW’s vision of a world that is free of chemical weapons and of the threat of their use, published the following statement on September, 29:
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has examined the relevant parts of the Amnesty International report regarding allegations of the use of chemical weapons in the Darfur region of Sudan. The OPCW has also noted the response of the Government of Sudan to the allegations. Without further information and evidence being made available, it is not possible at this stage to draw any conclusions based on the content of the report.
We decided, as many other organizations, to contact them to demand they open an investigation.
https://twitter.com/MagkaSama/status/789147166103203840
https://twitter.com/MagkaSama/status/789147416876294144
France officially commented on Amnesty’s report on September, 30:
This report contains very serious accusations that we can neither confirm nor refute at this stage. The use, development, manufacture and storage of chemical weapons are banned by the Chemical Weapons Convention ratified by 192 nations, including Sudan. France will support any initiative that helps sheds light on these possible chemical attacks in Darfur. France supports the presence of UNAMID in Sudan and is waiting for any information it might make available.
A few days ago, we joined other NGOs to call for The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) to launch an investigation in a joint NGO letter: Call for an independent international investigation into the use of chemical weapons and other serious violations of international humanitarian law in Darfur.
22 NGOs call for @ACHPR to launch investigation in2 #chemicalweapons + #internationalcrimes in #Darfur, #Sudan https://t.co/1hyrzwrTOc pic.twitter.com/hxNwHcLhP8
— African Centre (@AfricanCentre) October 23, 2016
Investigations must be opened, the use of chemical weapons must be condemned and can not got unpunished. Spread the word and take action!
