65 killed in West Darfur Kerending Camp two months ago

The Higher Committee for Managing the West Darfur Crisis in Kerending Camp reported that 65 camp inhabitants were killed in the violence at the end of 2019. 42 of them died in hospitals in El Geneina, capital of West Darfur.

According to Ahmed Ishag, a member of the Higher Committee, 88 wounded were transferred to Khartoum for treatment. Most of them recovered. In total, 101 victims received treatment in El Geneina.

He said that about 16,000 displaced families have been officially registered as residents of Kerending camp. However the majority, 68,000 families, have not been registered and do not have camp ID’s.

Since the violence in and near the camp in end December 2019, 47,700 families are sheltering in 36 government offices and schools in El Geneina. They live in dire conditions.

The Higher Committee for Managing the West Darfur Crisis reported six weeks ago that the violence in West Darfur two months ago was not tribal, but orchestrated by the West Darfur state authorities. It specifically held the governor and the state security committee responsible.

A delegation of the Forces for Freedom and Change concluded in the beginning of January that the attacks on the two Kerending camps and its surrounding villages were the result of “elements of the deep state achieving their personal interests”.

Local leaders explained that they can only return to the camps if their safety can be guaranteed. They say this requires that the Rapid Support Forces militia leave the city, that weapons are collected, and that the UN, the army, or the police guarantee the safety of the camps.

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