Eighteen people were killed and 30 others injured over four days of continuous shelling by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the Abu Shouk camp for displaced persons in North Darfur, according to resistance committees on Thursday. The camp shelters more than 75,000 families-about 480,000 people-amid extremely complex humanitarian conditions. The camp faces repeated RSF attacks, which have disrupted the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Artillery shelling targeting cities and displacement camps in North Darfur is escalating, while the Abu Shouk Emergency Room has warned of worsening health conditions and a crisis of food and water in the region’s camps. The Emergency Room reported that the ongoing shelling has further complicated security and humanitarian conditions, with most camp residents enduring dire health circumstances. It noted that 18 civilians were killed and 30 others seriously wounded, while health center departments have ceased functioning and even private clinics have run out of medicine.
Additionally, there is no food available, forcing residents to survive on water mixed with flour and some edible leaves. All communal kitchens providing food aid to those trapped by the fighting have stopped, except for one that recently resumed operations with support from a local organization. The Emergency Room warned that continued shelling, combined with rampant hunger, thirst, and disease, is killing displaced people trapped in the camp on the outskirts of El Fasher, where they have been besieged for over a year.
UN Welcomes Sudan’s Extension of the “Adré” Border Crossing for Aid
According to the “Global Hunger Observatory,” famine in Sudan has expanded to five regions, with five more at risk during May. Famine has been documented in five areas, including the Abu Shouk, Zamzam, and Salam camps in North Darfur. The Abu Shouk Emergency Room, comprising volunteers and local humanitarian workers, stated that 300 people with special needs and elderly individuals require urgent evacuation, highlighting the dangers of the roads and the need for safe corridors.
The governor of Darfur, Minni Arko Minnawi, accused the RSF of targeting displacement camps and specific neighborhoods on an ethnic basis to terrorize and forcibly displace residents. Adam Regal, spokesperson for the Darfur Displaced and Refugees Coordination, said that more than 60% of Abu Shouk camp residents have been forced to flee again due to ongoing shelling and attacks.
Amid deteriorating humanitarian conditions and ongoing battles in Darfur, the Sudanese government announced the extension of the opening of the “Adré” border crossing with Chad to deliver humanitarian aid to those affected by the war. The extension is for an additional three months, from May 16 to August 15, to facilitate the flow of relief to war-affected citizens and to foster positive engagement with the international community.
The “Adré” crossing lies between Chad and Sudan, linking the Chadian city of Adré with Darfur in western Sudan. The United Nations welcomed the Sudanese government’s decision, emphasizing the crossing’s importance for delivering humanitarian aid to those in need. UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, welcomed the announcement, describing the crossing as a lifeline for millions in Darfur. European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič also expressed deep relief at Sudan’s decision, calling the continued opening of the crossing vital for millions fleeing the ongoing war in Sudan.
