苏丹政府被控在达尔富尔使用化学武器

Sudan's justice minister has refuted claims by displaced persons in the Jebel Marra area of Darfur that they suffered chemical exposure at the hands of the government of Sudan.

Amnesty International reported earlier Thursday that since January, people in Jebel Marra have reported blisters and rashes, skin falling off, eye problems including total vision loss, bloody vomit, diarrhea and severe respiratory problems.

Amnesty says these symptoms are due to chemical weapons used by Sudanese authorities. As many as 250 people, including many children, may have died as a result of chemical attacks, and hundreds more have been injured, says the rights group.

But Justice Minister Awad Hassan Elnour responded in a letter Thursday that government officials were "very astonished" to hear the allegations. He said it was the first he had heard of such events, which he said imply "a heinous humanitarian crime."

Elnour notes in his letter that members of a government fact-finding mission traveled to Darfur in February and met for three hours with people displaced by military operations in Jebel Marra. He said the people, who came from central Darfur villages, reported that they had left their villages to avoid the military violence and none had reported symptoms like those Amnesty describes.

Elnour also said Sudanese troops are in the area to defend against attacks by a rebel group. He said the armed forces are carrying out their constitutional duty in protecting the citizens and preserving the integrity, security and stability of the country and the people. He said they have had extensive training in humanitarian law.

The report released by Amnesty on Thursday states that Sudanese security forces have deliberately targeted civilians and their property, including the probable use of ‘blister agents,' a banned class of chemical weapons, in roughly 32 villages in the Jebel Marra area.

Reuters news agency quotes Sudan's U.N. ambassador as saying the Amnesty report was “utterly unfounded” and that Sudan does not possess any type of chemical weapons.

苏丹司法部驳斥了达尔富尔杰贝勒马拉地区流离失所者的指称，这些人说，他们在苏丹政府的手下受到了化学品的伤害。

国际特赦星期四稍早时说，自从今年1月以来，杰贝勒马拉地区的人们据报出现水疱和皮疹，脱皮，失明等眼疾，吐血，腹泻以及严重呼吸问题。

国际特赦说，这些病症是由苏丹当局使用的化学武器造成的。该人权组织称，包括很多儿童在内的250人有可能已经死于化学袭击，还有几百人受伤。

但是，苏丹司法部长埃尔努尔星期四在一封信中回应说，政府官员听到这些指控“非常惊讶”。他表示这是他第一次听到这些事情，他说，这意味着发生的是“一个令人发指的人道主义犯罪行为”。

埃尔努尔在信中指出，政府真相调查团成员今年2月到达尔富尔，同杰贝勒马拉地区因军事行动而流离失所的人们见面三个小时。他说，这些来自达尔富尔中部的村民说，他们为了躲避军事暴力而离开自己的家乡，当时没有人提到国际特赦所形容的病症。

埃尔努尔说，苏丹军队目前在该地区抵御一个反叛组织的袭击。他说政府武装部队保护公民，维护国家的完整、安全和稳定，这是在履行他们的宪法职责。他说，他们接受过广泛的人道主义法培训。

国际特赦星期四的报告指出，苏丹安全部队有意把平民和他们的财产作为攻击目标，他们在杰贝勒马拉地区的大约32个村庄，有可能使用了一类被禁的化学武器－糜烂性毒剂。

路透社援引苏丹驻联合国大使的话说，国际特赦的报道“完全没有根据”，苏丹没有任何类型的化学武器。