The Sudan conflict that has claimed lives in genocidal proportions is easily being pushed to backstage in global security meetings as it fails to feature prominently in the 81st UN General Assembly in New York.

In one of the most serious allegations levelled against a party to the Sudanese conflict, which has continued for more than two years, reports issued by independent international bodies have revealed the use of chemical weapons in attacks targeting civilian areas in Darfur and Al Jazirah.

These reports say that symptoms consistent with exposure to toxic gases appeared among hundreds of people who were wounded, including women and children, following artillery and airstrikes carried out by Sudanese army forces and their allies against civilian areas.

Worst affected regions

Last August, Human Rights Watch documented, in a detailed report, eight attacks in which chemical substances are suspected to have been used, targeting villages in North Darfur and the Al Jazirah region.

The report was based on testimonies from more than 60 survivors, video recordings, and analyses of environmental samples collected by independent experts.

The testimonies describe symptoms including severe suffocation, skin ulcers, and bleeding from the nose and mouth, symptoms that doctors say are inconsistent with conventional weapons.

Fatima, 52, a survivor of an attack on the village of Umm Kaddada in North Darfur, says: “We heard an explosion, then there was a strange smell, like rotten eggs. Minutes later, everyone started coughing, and fluids began coming from their noses.

“More than twenty people died the following day, most of them children and the elderly.” She adds: “I have never seen anything like this in my life.”

The World Health Organization (WHO), in a subsequent report, confirmed that it had received reports of “mass poisoning cases” in the area, but was unable to confirm the use of chemical weapons because of the “inability to safely access” the attack sites.

It, nevertheless, said that “the pattern of symptoms and the rapidity of deaths point to an urgent need for an independent international investigation.”

Fact probe

The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan, established by the UN Human Rights Council, said in its latest report that it was “investigating allegations of chemical weapons use” and had “collected preliminary evidence indicating the use of toxic substances in specific attacks.”

The mission noted, however, that “confirming these allegations requires advanced laboratory analyses, which have not yet been available.” It called on the international community to “allow UN team experts unhindered access to the affected areas.”

In the same context, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said in a statement that his office was “following with grave concern reports concerning the use of chemical weapons in Sudan,” stressing that “any use of such weapons constitutes a war crime and may amount to a crime against humanity.” He added that “ongoing investigations may include these allegations if evidence becomes available.”

Despite the gravity of these allegations, the UN Security Council has so far taken no deterrent measures against the Sudanese leaders implicated.

Diplomatic sources say that “the division among the major powers, particularly the United States, Russia, and China, is preventing the adoption of a decisive resolution.”

They add that “some countries, foremost among them Saudi Arabia and Egypt, are exerting pressure to prevent any measures that could affect the al-Burhan government.”

Meanwhile, thousands of civilians continue to flee conflict zones, with UN estimates indicating that more than 10 million people have been displaced inside and outside Sudan since the conflict began in April 2023.

As reports of new violations continue to emerge, the question remains: Will the international community pay a real price to stop these crimes, or will impunity continue?