Internationally banned Cartridge weapon killed 8 protesters in Sudan: group

June 18, 2022 (KHARTOUM) – Eight were killed and 747 others wounded as a result of the use of the internationally prohibited cartridge weapon to break up anti-coup protests, said the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors (CCSD) on Sunday.

The danger of this firearm ammunition, which the CCSD dubbed the “New Killer,” is the is the large number of small shots that spread inside the gut, near the arteries and veins in the chest, abdomen and head, said the statement.

Removing the projectiles scattered inside the body in vital areas can lead to bleeding, added the statement to underline the difficulty of surgical intervention.

The first time that Sudanese security forces used cartridge weapons against protesters was before the collapse of the al-Bashir regime in April 2019. Its use appeared after the 25th October coup when al-Burhan reinstated the former security senior officials.

The Emergency Lawyers, for their part, said the use of this weapon is banned by international humanitarian law.

In a statement on Sunday, the lawyers said that the doctors found 44 small shots in the body of Hisham Mirghani who was killed on June 16.

The use of cartridge weapons to disperse peaceful demonstrations is internationally prohibited and mentioned in a number of international treaties said the human rights activists.

“The Emergency Lawyers will continue to monitor the violations of the coup d’état. Also, we call on the international community to intervene and exert pressure to stop the use of weapons to disperse peaceful demonstrations,” stressed the lawyers’ group.

The Sudanese military-led government which recently lifted the state of emergency did not comment on the use of excessive use of violence against protesters.

In a statement on June 17, the Human Rights Watch called to maintain international scrutiny for the human rights situation in Sudan saying it “is key, and time of the essence”.

“It is critical that monitoring by the High Commissioner and the designated Expert on obstacles to domestic accountability continues to be brought to the attention of the international community,” further said the group.

(ST)