PARIS: The Sudanese army, at war with paramilitaries since April 2023, used chlorine gas in two 2024 attacks north of the capital Khartoum, according to a media report released Thursday.
In June, Washington imposed sanctions on Sudan's army-allied government over the use of chemical weapons but did not specify where or when they were used.
The investigation by France24 shows the army appears to have dropped two chlorine barrels in September 2024 around the al-Jaili oil refinery north of Khartoum.
The RSF controlled the area and Sudan's largest oil facility at the time.
Human Rights Watch said: "The apparent use of a common industrial chemical as a weapon creates a disturbing precedent".
Sudan's government has repeatedly denied the US allegations, calling them "baseless" and "political blackmail".
Last month, it said an internal investigation had revealed "no evidence" of chemical contamination in Khartoum state.
France24 used open source data, footage circulating on social media and the opinions of five experts to confirm the use of chlorine gas.
They verified videos showing an industrial chlorine barrel, evidently dropped from a plane on September 5, 2024 on the Garri military base near al-Jaili, that had released a yellow cloud of gas consistent with chlorine.
The report traces the barrel to an Indian company that had exported it to Port Sudan in August 2024. The company told the French outlet its intended use was "solely for the treatment of drinking water".
France24 also verified reports of a second barrel dropped from an aircraft on September 13, 2024, on the Jaili oil refinery.
The RSF has throughout the war launched drone strikes, but does not have demonstrated combat aircraft capabilities, which the Sudanese army has used extensively.
Since April 2023, the war in Sudan has killed tens of thousands of people and created the world's largest hunger and displacement crises.
It has also unleashed countless atrocities on Sudanese civilians, with both sides accused of war crimes including indiscriminate bombing and targeting civilians.
Both sides are under US sanctions, with Washington determining in January the RSF had committed genocide in the western region of Darfur.
Sudan army used chlorine twice in Khartoum area attacks in 2024: report
https://arab.news/4edj9
Sudan army used chlorine twice in Khartoum area attacks in 2024: report
- HRW said: "The apparent use of a common industrial chemical as a weapon creates a disturbing precedent"
- Sudan's government has repeatedly denied the US allegations, calling them "baseless" and "political blackmail"
Helicopter crashes in Libya during medical evacuation, killing 3
- The Matan Al-Sarra air base lies in an area under the control of Libya’s Benghazi-based eastern administration led by military strongman Khalifa Haftar, but authorities in the east did not comment on the crash
TRIPOLI: A helicopter has crashed in southeastern Libya, killing a medic and two crew members carrying out a medical evacuation, state media said Tuesday.
Libyan news agency LANA said the chopper went down overnight near an air base in the Kufra region about 60 kilometers north of the border between Libya and Chad.
The aircraft was attempting to evacuate a soldier who had been involved in a road accident in the desert, LANA said.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known and it was unclear what happened to the injured soldier.
Libyan media reports said two foreign nationals were among those on board who were killed, but this was not confirmed by authorities.
The Matan Al-Sarra air base lies in an area under the control of Libya’s Benghazi-based eastern administration led by military strongman Khalifa Haftar, but authorities in the east did not comment on the crash.
Libya remains split between the eastern administration and a UN-backed government in the west led by Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeibah. The LANA news agency is under the control of western authorities.
Libya has struggled to recover from chaos that erupted following a 2011 Arab Spring uprising that toppled and killed longtime ruler Muammar Qaddafi.
