2 killed as Sudan's paramilitary intensifies attacks on displacement camp in North Darfur

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CAIRO (AP) — At least two people were killed in attacks by Sudan's paramilitary forces on a famine-stricken camp in North Darfur for people displaced by the war in the country, officials and humanitarian organizations said.

The Abo Shouk displacement camp in el-Fasher has been attacked on and off over the past 11 months, but attacks have intensified this week, Adam Rijal, the spokesman for the Coordination for Displaced Persons and Refugees in Darfur, said Wednesday.

He told The Associated Press that two people were confirmed dead due to the attacks by the Rapid Support Forces that intensified on Monday. The paramilitary was using artillery shelling “indiscriminately and deliberately”, he said.

Four people were reported injured on Tuesday, but that figure is likely higher. The attacks have also destroyed property in the camp, which houses around 450,000 displaced people.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Wednesday that attacks on Abu Shouk camp reportedly killed and injured scores of civilians.

Darfur Governor Mini Arko Minawi condemned the attacks in a Facebook statement on Monday and said the attacks were part of the RSF’s plan to “exterminate” the residents of el-Fasher and nearby displacement camps.

The war in Sudan broke out in April 2023 between the military and its rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces with battles in Khartoum and around the country. The Sudanese military has control over el-Fasher despite near-daily strikes by the RSF.

U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Tuesday it was “gravely alarmed” by the reports of intensified hostilities.

“The humanitarian and security situation in Sudan remains dire and is worsening,” Dujarric said.

Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, on Wednesday called the continued attacks against civilians across the country “unlawful & morally indefensible.”

At least 20,000 people are thought to have been killed since the war broke out, though the number is likely far higher. The war has also driven more than 14 million people from their homes and pushed parts of the country into famine. UNICEF recently reported that an estimated 61,800 children have been internally displaced since the war began.

Over the past several months, the Sudanese army made steady advances in its fight against its rival paramilitary in Khartoum and other areas. Most recently, the military retook government buildings in the capital, including the Republican Palace and recaptured Khartoum’s international airport.