A coalition of retired Sudanese army, police and security personnel has called for an international investigation into the alleged use of chemical weapons in Sudan, warning against attempts to conceal evidence or shield those responsible.
The General Secretariat of the Higher Central Leadership for Retired Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers and Soldiers of the Army, Police and Security Services, known as Tadamon, condemned what it described as the use of chemical weapons against Sudanese civilians.
In a statement cited by Radio Dabanga, the group urged the UN Security Council to immediately refer the issue to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, or OPCW, and called for the creation of an urgent fact-finding mission with unrestricted access to Sudan.
Tadamon also called on the African Union Commission to establish an independent African investigative mechanism in coordination with the United Nations to identify and hold those responsible to account.
The group demanded an immediate halt to any use, production or stockpiling of prohibited chemical weapons in Sudan and said all relevant sites and evidence should be preserved and protected from tampering.
It said the use of chemical weapons would constitute a serious violation of the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention and could amount to a war crime under international humanitarian law.
The statement also warned against the military use of civilian chemicals, citing chlorine used at water treatment facilities as an example of material that could be diverted for prohibited purposes.
Tadamon said impunity would increase the risk of further violations and argued that the international community had a responsibility to ensure allegations were independently investigated.
The group noted that Sudan is a member of the OPCW and is serving on its Executive Council until the end of 2027. It said the authorities in Port Sudan should therefore allow an international investigative mission into the country to examine the allegations.
Such access, the statement said, would provide a practical means of addressing the accusations and prevent the issue from being exploited politically in ways that could further harm civilians displaced or otherwise affected by the war.
Tadamon added that neither the Sudanese Armed Forces, the Rapid Support Forces nor any other party could claim political legitimacy through violence against civilians or through the use of internationally prohibited weapons.
The group said it would continue to defend the rights of retired security personnel and the wider Sudanese population.
