8 killed in Rapid Support Forces shelling on Abu Shouk camp in Darfur

SadaNews - A shelling by the Rapid Support Forces targeting the "Abu Shouk" displacement camp in western Sudan resulted in the deaths of 8 civilians on Thursday, according to the "Abu Shouk Camp Emergency Room," as reported by AFP.

The shelling hit the Abu Shouk camp, which hosts tens of thousands of displaced individuals on the outskirts of El Fasher, the besieged capital of North Darfur, where residents suffer from hunger.

El Fasher remains the last major stronghold of the army in the Darfur region in western Sudan that is outside the control of the Rapid Support Forces, who have been at war with the army since April 2023.

The "Abu Shouk Camp Emergency Room" reported in a statement that the camp experienced heavy artillery shelling from the Rapid Support Forces, resulting in the deaths of eight people.

The attack comes days after other assaults carried out by the Rapid Support Forces on villages in North Kordofan, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds, including children and women.

Furthermore, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warned that the forced displacement of populations in North Darfur threatens to spread cholera, which has seen a surge in recent outbreaks.

The UN added that the severe funding shortages are depriving the most vulnerable groups in Sudan, explaining that the current rainy season in the country threatens to exacerbate the spread of diseases.

The conflict, which has entered its third year, has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people, the displacement of millions of Sudanese, and has caused what the UN has described as the largest displacement and hunger crisis in the world.