August 30, 2025
Several witnesses from the Sudanese regions of East Sennar and Jabal Moya report severe poisoning symptoms in humans, animals, and crops. They suspect the use of chemical weapons by the Sudanese army. The situation has led to a mass exodus of the local population, even after the withdrawal of the Rapid Support Forces.
Direct Testimonies Regarding Chemical Weapons
A man, A.M., traveled the road from Sennar to Rabak three times this year. He saw the landscape change. Large yellow stains, each covering about one feddan, appeared on agricultural lands bombed with barrels. These were visible between Jabal Al-Tout and Jabal Moya and near the entrance to the Sennar Sugar factory.
Simultaneous with the appearance of the stains, an unknown disease broke out. The respiratory infections were unlike anything the residents had known before. A.M. himself contracted a lung infection in September last year from which he has still not recovered. Many cases of so-called cholera are also reported, but the symptoms differ. An acquaintance of A.M. died from a strange form of diarrhea.
Ms. M.A. confirms the bizarre health problems. Three members of her family, initially diagnosed with cholera, are now suffering from kidney failure. Additionally, eye infections have become widespread, causing severe redness, constant tearing, and extreme sensitivity to light.
The Impact on Agricultural Land
The poisoning appears to be rendering the soil sterile. Farmer A.A. reports that his sorghum crop failed to sprout after 45 days. His entire project failed due to soil toxicity. His neighbour A.M. witnessed a significant number of sheep dying in the Al-Rafa’yeen desert between May and July 2024 for no apparent reason.
When A.M. planted okra for his family, that crop also failed due to salt accumulation in the soil. He found thousands of dead rats and snakes on his land every day. On one occasion, he collected a full fifty-kilo sack of dead snakes and over four hundred dead rats.
Health Problems and Birth Defects
The health of A.M. and his family is severely affected. He has been suffering from a persistent chest infection since last September. Fearing the effects of chemical radiation, he left Sennar with his family. His children developed a skin rash with small water-filled blisters.
His wife H.M. suffered two miscarriages: one in October last year in Sennar and one in June 2025 at their new residence. Striking birth defects are now appearing in his extended family. One child was born without eye sockets and died quickly. Another child was born without ears. Another baby girl had abnormal facial features and a chimpanzee-like nose; she died after eighteen days.
This report, compiled by Rehab Mubarak Sayed Ahmed of Emergency Lawyers, is based on direct testimonies and photos of the affected babies. The situation in Sennar and Jabal Moya is grim. A silent killer is haunting the land, water, and air, with disastrous consequences for everyone living there.
Sources:
Report by Rehab Mubarak Sayed Ahmed, Executive Office Member – Emergency Lawyers, dated August 29, 2025.
Andy Vermaut +32499357495