Army uses toxic materials in Darfur

Human rights activist and Vice President of the Darfur Bar Association “DBA,” Nafisa Hajar, disclosed that reports indicate the occurrence of widespread violations and the use of toxic materials. Pointing out that the only people affected by aerial attacks are defenseless residents.

Hajar explained to “Sky News Arabia” that: “Humanitarian disasters, human and material losses resulting from the intensive aerial bombardments targeting several regions in Darfur are increasing in light of international silence and timid statements that do not rise to the level of the disaster taking place.”

Hajar added that there are “serious suspicions regarding the use of prohibited weapons and toxic materials in repeated aerial bombardments, which brings to mind the region’s past tragedies that defenseless residents suffered through during the last war that broke out in 2003, requiring an urgent and transparent international investigation into the matter and punishing the perpetrators of these crimes, in case such suspicions were proven.”

Hajar stressed that International Humanitarian Law explicitly criminalizes the use of any type of prohibited weapons against any civilian targets.

According to the provisions of the Rome Conventions, articles of the International Humanitarian Law, and the United Nations’ Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons signed in 1980, the use of any weapons or attacks that are excessively harmful or have indiscriminate effects, or failure to protect civilians, is considered a full-fledged war crime.