FRA media: all that chlorine ain't just purifying water in Sudan ...
An investigation by the FRANCE 24 Observers team reveals how chlorine gas was used as a weapon in the ongoing civil war in Sudan. All evidence suggests the Sudanese army used chlorine to recapture a…
www.france24.com
Barrels containing chlorine gas were used as a chemical weapon near an oil refinery in Sudan in September 2024, as shown by the first part of an investigation by the FRANCE 24 Observers. In this second…
www.france24.com
... with a touch of backstory/refresher on the whole civil war fracas
Sudan was thrown into disarray in 2023 when its army and a paramilitary group began a power struggle.
www.bbc.com
As the civil war enters its third year, Sudan’s two warring factions remain locked in a deadly power struggle. Death toll estimates vary widely, with the former U.S.
www.cfr.org
en.wikipedia.org
I went to Sudan as part of the security detail for a documentary being made by an independent film-maker who had partnered with The Associated Press maybe 15-ish years ago now. (Time flies, but 15-ish sounds right-ish)
I'll see what I can find in terms of pics and stuff from that trip. (This was before high quality smart phone cameras were in everybody's pocket. I DID have some pretty nifty disposable cameras tho!)
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South Sudan hadn't become an officially recognized country yet, but was about to - and there was A LOT of ethnic violence happening in that area immediately prior to South Sudan being recognized internationally as it's own country.
These days there is a UN Peacekeeping force there (quality of troops is pretty deplorable - pls correct me if I'm wrong) and things have calmed down
But the place was a total shit show then.
And while the ethnic violence seems to have simmered down since my time there, I can't imagine its a remotely nice place to live in or grow up in.
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I was on TF-206 & TF-110 in Afghanistan, and took my training seriously before I deployed.
I even invested in some private courses prior to deployment along with some of the other guys - and I would confidently argue that our drills, right before and during deployment, were exceptionally better than the troops who didn't get the same opportunities.
(Edmonton Police Service's Tactical Unit were awesome guys & showed us A LOT of simple yet super useful tips)
Anyways I went to Sudan near the end of 2010, and I put that training to FAR BETTER use there than I ever did in Afghanistan. And saw more shit there than I ever did in the sandbox.
(Anybody who's had to "Go check if anybody's alive at Callsign-X after an IED blast hit a LAV-3 learns quickly that sometimes the occupants are banged up, maybe require hospitalization, but mostly "okay" (okay being fairly relative...) but you may also find your friends deceased - to put that as non-graphically as possible)
Sudan was a whole new level of violence
We saw people there in the same shape (or worse, believe it or not) who hadn't driven over an IED or stepped on a landmine, but were mutilated by their fellow humans with bare hands & machetes.
All because of some cultural or religious bullshit, although the battle for basic resources was starting to shape events there beyond the religious differences between tribes.
(Although there's plenty of one-legged people there who have stepped on landmines - so many it REALLY causes one to stop & think about a lot. I think the de-mining crews have since made the populated areas fairly safe now, they were pretty clear of landmines even when I was there. Don't go for any strolls off the roads or well walked pathways tho.)
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Sketchy place is a massive understatement. There's almost like a constant evil in the air there. This chlorine attack sounds absolutely horrid in what it did to it's victims - it doesn't surprize me in the least tho
Honestly thought chlorine attacks had already been a thing there
