El Fasher , March 24(Darfur 24)The internally displaced people IDPs of Abshuk camp, north of the city of El Fasher, Darfur, demanded that the armed movements and the Sudanese army stay away from the camp and not use civilians as human shields during battles with the Rapid Support Forces.
Displaced people in the camp confirmed to “Darfur 24” that Commander Al-Sadiq Al-Fakka, who is affiliated with the Sudanese army, is setting up military outposts north and south of the camp, and some soldiers from his group are also staying inside the camp, in addition to increasing the number of militants from the armed movements inside the camp.
The displaced people demanded that these forces leave the camp immediately in order to preserve the safety of civilians, especially after the camp was bombed more than once by the Rapid Support Forces.
A displaced person, who asked to withhold his name for security reasons, told Darfur 24 that the number of deaths in the camp for about 3 months exceeded 10 people and dozens of wounded, due to mutual bombing between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces during the battles.
He stated that the camp has become a haven for newly displaced people from the “Tawila and Katum” locality, and its population has exceeded more than 152 thousand people, explaining that the entry of weapons into the camp poses a danger to civilians.
For his part, a community leader in the camp, who preferred to withhold his name, in a statement to “Darfur 24”, appealed to the Rapid Support Forces present at the Mellit Gate and the eastern neighborhoods not to bomb the camp. He acknowledged the existence of some outposts around the camp that caused the targeting of the displaced, and confirmed that some of the camp’s notables were seeking to speak with the parties to the conflict to stop the attack. Battles around the camp.
The vicinity of the Abshok camp for displaced people witnessed fierce battles last Thursday evening, leaving 4 dead and 3 wounded after a shell fell in the middle of the Naivasha market.
Last Sunday evening, the Rapid Support Forces bombed the camp, wounding 5 people, including three children who were seriously injured and taken to Al-Fasher Southern Hospital.
The camp witnesses daily hundreds of residents fleeing towards Zamzam camp, 17 km southwest of El Fasher, and some southern neighborhoods and shelter centers inside El Fasher city, fearing for their lives after the intensification of battles around the camp’s surroundings.
Battles between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces have been renewed inside the city of El Fasher from time to time, since mid-April last year, leading to the killing and wounding of more than 200 civilians, according to unofficial statistics.