Sudan’s founding alliance accuses army of chemical weapons attack in North Kordofan
The Sudanese Founding Alliance, known as TASIS, has accused the Sudanese Armed Forces of using internationally prohibited chemical weapons during airstrikes on Umm Qurfa and nearby villages in North Kordofan state.
According to the alliance, SAF aircraft deployed Iranian-made vacuum bombs and barrel bombs dropped from Antonov warplanes during Saturday’s attacks.
Videos circulating after the strikes reportedly show dark circular clouds and columns of smoke rising from the targeted area.
Ahmed Taqad, spokesman for the Founding Alliance, confirmed that 10 civilians lost their lives and 18 others sustained injuries in Umm Qurfa and the surrounding villages of Al-Hariz, Al-Hamadab, Wad Musa, Al-Markha, and Umm Taqirat.
Three shepherds and two women died in Umm Qurfa, while seven other civilians, including two children and two elderly men, were killed in neighboring villages.
The alliance accused the army of deliberately targeting water sources, resulting in significant livestock deaths near these vital points.
It described the bombing of civilian gatherings and water sources as war crimes and a form of collective punishment against communities in areas outside government control.
The TASIS government has called on the international community, the United Nations, and the African Union to intervene urgently and investigate the attack.
Khalid Ahmed Danaa, information minister in the peace government, linked the incident to previous US allegations regarding the army’s use of prohibited chemical agents.
He has called for an urgent independent investigation led by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
Witnesses reported that the bombs released thick yellow smoke upon impact, raising suspicions of chlorine use, a chemical prohibited under the Chemical Weapons Convention. The Sudan Liberation Movement condemned the attack as a grave violation of international law and a flagrant disregard for civilian lives.
The allegations come as new US sanctions against Sudan took effect on Monday over accusations that government forces used chemical weapons during the civil war
