In Sudan’s Abu Shouk camp, displaced families hide underground to survive

Sudan Media Forum: Joint Editorial Room

Prepared by: Sudan Tribune

For Fatima Abkar, 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.

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.

Fatima’s plight mirrors the suffering of thousands of displaced people in Abu Shouk, which has become a frequent target 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’s emergency committee.

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.

In August of last year, the camp was hit by heavy torrential rains, destroying at least 3,000 homes.

‘Hunger is killing us’

“I’ve been in this trench for a week, unable to leave because of the Janjaweed shells,” Fatima told Sudan Tribune. “I 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.”

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.

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

‘Human shields’

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

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’s presence in the camp market has further disrupted access to food and other essentials.

“Hunger is everywhere,” said Insaf Abdelkarim, a camp resident. “We can’t 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.”

Amira Abdallah, another displaced resident, described enduring relentless shelling while sheltering with her children in trenches. “Most of us survive on ‘ambaz’—peanut residue after oil extraction—mixed with flour to feed our children. Adults often subsist on water alone.” 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.

Adam Rijal, spokesperson for the Coordination of Displaced Persons and Refugees, condemned the use of camps as battlegrounds. “There is no justification for bombing the camp or killing the displaced,” he said. “These are poor people who cannot prevent military bases in the camp. Using them as human shields is inhumane.”

Rijal appealed to international organisations and the global community to intervene urgently. “The lives of the displaced are being destroyed. This tragedy must end.”

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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 coalition of independent media outlets and organisations.

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