Dozens of Sudanese refugees at the Birao camp in the Central African Republic were reportedly subjected to looting and torture following the disbursement of financial aid provided by the United Nations World Food Programme.
Refugee Adam Mukhtar told Darfur24 that 14 women and 8 men were looted and whipped immediately after receiving the aid. He added that the perpetrators confiscated all of the refugees’ belongings.
Some of the refugees who suffered looting and torture reached the border town of Um Dafuq and reported the incidents to local authorities. The following day, a helicopter carrying Russian forces arrived and deployed in the area.
The incident follows protests by several Sudanese refugees at the camp, who were excluded from receiving food rations. According to refugee accounts, aid had not been distributed to approximately 11 centers in the Birao camp, which consists of 22 centers in total.
