{"id":20112067,"date":"2025-01-15T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-15T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/?p=20112067"},"modified":"2025-02-21T10:37:44","modified_gmt":"2025-02-21T09:37:44","slug":"in-sudans-abu-shouk-camp-displaced-families-hide-underground-to-survive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/en\/all-news\/article\/in-sudans-abu-shouk-camp-displaced-families-hide-underground-to-survive","title":{"rendered":"In Sudan\u2019s Abu Shouk camp, displaced families hide underground to survive"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sudan Media Forum: Joint Editorial Room<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prepared by: Sudan Tribune<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Fatima Abakar, survival has meant retreating beneath the surface. In the Abu Shouk displacement camp, north of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, she and her children have sought shelter in a trench she dug to escape relentless aerial and artillery bombardments targeting the camp for months.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inside the dark trench, Fatima faces hunger, thirst, and a lack of medical care. Shells continue to fall, and venturing out for food is too dangerous. Even with support from relatives abroad, limited cash availability and closed shops leave her with no options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fatima\u2019s plight mirrors the suffering of thousands of displaced people in Abu Shouk<\/a>, which has become a frequent target<\/a> of Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacks. Daily artillery shelling and drone strikes have killed or injured civilians, destroyed homes and shops, and obliterated medical centres, according to the camp\u2019s emergency committee.<\/p>\n\n\n

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A malnourished child in the care of his displaced mother in Abu Shouk camp (Photo: Sudan Tribune)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Earlier this month, the camp endured airstrikes by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), resulting in civilian casualties and widespread fear among residents, according to the Abu Shouk Emergency Room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In August of last year, the camp was hit by heavy torrential rains<\/a>, destroying at least 3,000 homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Hunger is killing us\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been in this trench for a week, unable to leave because of the Janjaweed shells,\u201d Fatima told Sudan Tribune<\/em>. \u201cI have three children. Their father was killed in a bombing last August, and they now suffer from severe malnutrition, as doctors from the MSF hospital have confirmed. I fear I will lose them at any moment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Living on meagre supplies of sorghum flour, water, and salt, Fatima urged the international community to intervene urgently with food, medicine, and efforts to halt attacks on civilians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In late December 2024, an Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) declared a famine in Abu Shouk camp<\/a>, classified as Phase 5 (Catastrophe) food insecurity, the highest level on the scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘Human shields’<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Displaced mothers and their children in Abu Shouk camp (Photo: Sudan Tribune)\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Displaced residents accuse the Sudanese army and allied forces of exacerbating their suffering by using the camp as a military base<\/a>. A camp administrator, speaking anonymously, said military forces have entrenched themselves in the camp\u2019s eastern, western, and southern areas, making life unbearable for civilians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Residents of certain areas, such as squares 15 to 17, have spent weeks hiding in trenches. In square 28, close to military deployments, shelling has caused catastrophic conditions. The SAF\u2019s presence in the camp market has further disrupted access to food and other essentials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHunger is everywhere,\u201d said Insaf Abdelkarim, a camp resident. \u201cWe can\u2019t afford even one meal a day due to job losses and market closures from the bombings. Hunger is spreading, and urgent aid is desperately needed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amira Abdallah, another displaced resident, described enduring relentless shelling while sheltering with her children in trenches. \u201cMost of us survive on \u2018ambaz<\/em>\u2019\u2014peanut residue after oil extraction\u2014mixed with flour to feed our children. Adults often subsist on water alone.\u201d She added that many displaced people have died due to the lack of funds for medical care, with women suffering miscarriages without access to hospitals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adam Rujal, spokesperson for the Darfur Displaced and Refugee Camps Coordination, condemned the use of camps as battlegrounds. \u201cThere is no justification for bombing the camp or killing the displaced,\u201d he said. \u201cThese are poor people who cannot prevent military bases in the camp. Using them as human shields is inhumane.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rujal appealed to international organisations and the global community to intervene urgently. \u201cThe lives of the displaced are being destroyed. This tragedy must end.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This report is published simultaneously on the platforms of media and press institutions and organisations that are members of the Sudan Media Forum<\/a><\/em>, a coalition of independent media outlets and organisations.<\/p>\n\n\n

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#SilenceKills #\u0627\u0644\u0635\u0645\u062a_\u064a\u0642\u062a\u0644 #NoTimeToWasteForSudan #\u0627\u0644\u0648\u0636\u0639_\u0641\u064a<\/em>_\u0627\u0644\u0633\u0648\u062f\u0627\u0646_\u0644\u0627<\/em>_\u064a\u062d\u062a\u0645\u0644_\u0627\u0644\u062a\u0623\u062c\u064a\u0644 #StandWithSudan #\u0633\u0627\u0646\u062f\u0648\u0627_\u0627\u0644\u0633\u0648\u062f\u0627\u0646 #SudanMediaForum<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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