Sudan using chemical weapons on civilians right now.

A spent mortal shell

by PETER DOERRIE

The conflict in Darfur is now well into its second decade. Since 2003, the Sudanese military and various allied militias have fought rebels in this part of western Sudan, one of the multiple fronts in the country’s several ongoing civil wars.

Violence directed at civilians has been sad routine in this conflict since the beginning. Khartoum has been accused of targeting civilians, hospitals and villages in a deliberate strategy to undermine the rebels’ base of support.

But a new report by Amnesty International levels additional charges against the Sudanese regime — the alleged use of chemical weapons, most likely mustard gas.