Khartoum: Rhino – The Sudanese Emergency Lawyers Group condemned the army’s targeting of the Al-Hamidiya camp for displaced persons in the city of Zalingei, Central Darfur State, with drones at dawn today, resulting in the deaths of six civilians and injuries of varying severity to dozens of others, In addition, a number of homes were destroyed when missiles struck the camp, which houses thousands of displaced people fleeing the war, the majority of whom are women and children.

The group added in a statement that targeting civilian facilities providing essential humanitarian services amid the acute crisis Darfur is facing in the areas of food and health constitutes a clear violation of the principle of distinction imposed by international humanitarian law between military targets and protected civilian facilities, in a context that raises serious concerns about a recurring pattern of targeting humanitarian infrastructure, which exacerbates the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the region and puts civilians’ lives at immediate risk.

Emergency Lawyers Group expressed its strong condemnation of the targeting of humanitarian infrastructure, affirming that such targeting constitutes a grave violation of the rules of international humanitarian law, particularly regarding the prohibition of indiscriminate attacks and the duty to take necessary precautions to protect civilians and civilian objects, and exacerbates the humanitarian catastrophe faced by the population in Darfur amid the collapse of basic services and growing humanitarian needs.

The statement read: “This bombing has had serious humanitarian consequences that extend beyond the moment of the attack, by disrupting services within the camp and threatening the continuity of shelter, healthcare, and food assistance for the displaced, particularly the most vulnerable groups of women and children, thereby further exacerbating the existing humanitarian crisis”.