Concerns are mounting in Sudan as reports increase of the use of barrel bombs in the war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, amid human rights warnings that indiscriminate attacks threaten the lives of thousands and increase suffering.
Local human rights reports indicate that the Sudanese army carried out airstrikes on the Jebra area of North Kordofan state, using cargo planes that dropped highly destructive barrel bombs, resulting in civilian casualties.
Local sources stated that the Sudanese army used Antonov aircraft to drop barrel bombs on Jebra, North Kordofan, killing and injuring civilians in the latest military escalation in an area that has become a major battlefront.
According to the same sources, the airstrikes targeted locations in the area, and the bombs fell on populated civilian neighborhoods, damaging homes and sending thick clouds of dust and smoke into the air.
In its documentation of the army's operations in South Kordofan, Amnesty International reported that the Sudanese Armed Forces used barrel bombs dropped by hand from high-altitude aircraft, a method that does not allow for precise targeting of military objectives.
The organization notes that the Sudanese army has a documented history of dropping unguided munitions during previous internal conflicts.
The organization explained that the nature of these munitions makes them inherently indiscriminate, and their use in civilian areas could constitute a war crime.
Research reports indicate that barrel bombs are typically made from metal containers filled with high explosives and metal fragments or other shrapnel, without guidance systems.
Their composition varies from case to case, meaning that the contents of any munitions used in the Jabra attack cannot be determined without examining the weapon remnants.
The blast wave can destroy buildings and stir up large quantities of soil, rubble, and ash into the air. Dust clouds may contain fine particles and materials resulting from the burning of plastics, fuels, paints, furniture, and waste.
Health experts warn that exposure to such particles can cause breathing difficulties, eye irritation, and respiratory infections, and may exacerbate asthma and lung diseases, especially when residents remain close to the sites of destruction.
However, claims regarding the "spread of toxins" require environmental and medical testing, as there are currently no independent findings confirming that the dust in Jabra contains toxic gases or prohibited chemicals.
These reports come amid repeated criticism of the use of modified transport aircraft to drop unguided munitions, tactics previously documented by international organizations in past conflicts in Sudan, as they increase the risk of civilian casualties due to the difficulty in determining where the munitions land. They
also come amid increasing US pressure on the Sudanese military regarding the use of chemical weapons in the war.
Last week, the United States announced at the 112th session of the Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague, under the agenda item "Addressing the Threat of Chemical Weapons Use in Sudan," that the Sudanese military had used chemical weapons during the war, calling on the Sudanese government to submit a comprehensive declaration of its chemical weapons programs and allow unrestricted international inspections.
Sudanese observers and experts believe that the US evidence regarding the Sudanese military's use of chemical weapons has prompted Washington to adopt a more stringent stance on the war in the country.
In this context, the Sudanese Founding Alliance (Ta'sees) issued a statement affirming that it is closely monitoring recent developments concerning the army's use of internationally prohibited chemical weapons in large areas during the ongoing war in Sudan, and the accompanying international actions that underscore the gravity of these violations.
The statement emphasized that the use of these weapons against civilians in Khartoum, Al-Jazirah, Kordofan, and Darfur is an undeniable fact, constituting a grave crime and a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention.
The Alliance indicated that the proven use of these weapons should entail holding the army fully legally accountable and necessitate the implementation of measures stipulated within the framework of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). These measures include suspending certain rights and privileges of the Port Sudan Authority within the OPCW and expelling its representatives due to its breach of its obligations under the Convention and the proven use of internationally prohibited chemical agents.
The Sudanese Founding Alliance also called for urgent international action to address the remaining stockpiles of chemical weapons prepared for use by the army in the coming period, particularly chlorine gas, and to work towards preventing their further use in conflict zones and ensuring their safe disposal in accordance with international standards.
The coalition called on the UN Security Council to adopt an urgent resolution to establish an independent international mission to investigate the use of chemical weapons in Sudan, hold those responsible for these crimes accountable, and oversee the destruction of stockpiles of chemical weapons used in the war, thus ensuring the protection of civilians and preventing the recurrence of such violations.
The war in Sudan has become one of the world's deadliest conflicts for civilians. In various cities and towns, a large number of civilians have been killed or injured by the use of explosive weapons.
The conflict in this gold-rich country has claimed the lives of at least 59,000 people, displaced approximately 13 million others, and pushed large parts of Sudan into famine, while more than 30 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance.
