Rebel Militias Attacks Refugee Camps in the White Nile

Port Sudan – Sudanhorizon

A group of armed elements affiliated with the rebel Rapid Support militia, on Sunday, attacked three southern refugee camps in White Nile State, namely the Debba Busan, Al-Qanaa, and Al-Alqaya camps, located near the Jouda crossing. The camps host more than twelve thousand refugees and asylum seekers there.

Militia members tried to seize vehicles and relief materials belonging to those camps, sparking panic and fear among the camp dwellers and alarmed the humanitarian agencies operating in those areas.

The Sudanese Commission for Refugees has issued a statement at the backdrop of these events, in which it said that the local authorities immediately coordinated with the security services and requested their assistance in securing the camps, and that an emergency committee was formed to follow up on the events and the humanitarian situation among the camps refugees.

The statement stressed that additional measures have been taken to ensure the safety of refugees and enhance security inside the camps and surrounding areas.

The commission has renewed its commitment to ensuring the security and safety of refugees, in line with international laws governing refugee status, and confirmed that it is working with international and local partners to ensure the continued provision of humanitarian services required.

The commission has called on all concerned parties to adhere to humanitarian standards, respect the neutrality of the camps, and to avoid using the refugees or their areas as a tool for conflict, expressing its appreciation for all efforts exerted by the international and national communities towards the refugees.

Reports received by Sudanhorizon news website indicated that the Sudanese Armed Forces and security services have intervened and flushed, the remnants of the militia, some of whom had infiltrated into the refugee camps, out of the area, forcing them to go back to the locations from where they entered the camps.

The security tension created by the militia has caused a numbers of refugees to flee and cross the border into South Sudan.