Kreinik (Arabic: كرينك), or Al Kuraynik or Kereneik, is a town in West Darfur, Sudan, located 50 miles (80 km) east of Geneina.
Kreinik
كرينك | |
|---|---|
  Location in Sudan (West Darfur state highlighted) | |
| Coordinates: 13°22′00″N 22°53′00″E / 13.36667°N 22.88333°E | |
| Country | Sudan |
| State | West Darfur |
| Elevation | 801 m (2,628 ft) |
| Population | |
• Estimate (2023)[1] | 480,000 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (Central Africa Time) |
History
editKreinik has been the site of inter-communal conflict,[2] with clashes between Arab nomads and the Masalit tribe, and massacres committed against the Masalit people.[3] The conflict has led to civilian casualties and displacement.[4][5]
During the War in Darfur, it served as a refugee camp for Masalit civilians who fled massacres by the Arab Janjaweed militias.[6] In 2012, armed militias seized farms in the town.[7] Following the 2021 Darfur clashes, many refugees from Kreinik fled and settled in Foro Baranga.[8]
In December 2021, dozens were killed in tribal clashes.[9] On 24 April 2022, a thousand militants murdered more than 200 people in the Kreinik massacre, while the town was torched including the town's hospital.[10] A Médecins Sans Frontières team returned to Kreinik in December 2022 to rebuild the destroyed hospital.[11][1]
During the 2023 War in Sudan between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), the town has been under control of the RSF, as has most of West Darfur.[12] In November 2023, the RSF in Kereneik, imposed a ban on civilians crossing into Chad, citing the restoration of regional security. Violators faced hefty fines. This followed widespread violence against civilians, with accusations against the RSF of fuelling violence and committing war crimes in West Darfur. The RSF and allied Arab militias imposed exorbitant penalties on those transporting civilians to Chad.[13] Since then, the area has been isolated since 2023, with the main supply route closed off by the Sudanese Armed Forces.[14] This has made it difficult for humanitarian aid to reach the area. Despite the challenges, aid agencies have been working to provide support, including food, shelter, and medical assistance.[15]
Demographics
editKreinik is inhabited mostly by the Masalit, the biggest ethnic group in West Darfur.[16] It became home to many displaced ethnic black Masalit communities in the 2000s and the 2010s.[17]
References
edit- ^ a b "السودان: بلدة كرينك اليوم أطلالٌ محترقة بعد الهجوم الذي وقع العام الماضي". أطباء بلا حدود (in Arabic). Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ "Sudan: Inter-communal conflict – Kereneik & Ag Geneina, West Darfur Flash Update No. 04 (9 May 2022) [EN/AR] | OCHA". www.unocha.org. 9 May 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ "Arabs kill hundreds of non-Arab Massalit in Sudan: Darfur massacre – Modern Tokyo Times". Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ dabanga (10 June 2022). "OCHA: 125,000 people are still displaced after West Darfur violence". Dabanga Radio TV Online. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ AfricaNews (25 April 2022). "UN calls for probe into killing of 168 in Sudan's Darfur". Africanews. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ Salih, Zeinab Mohammed. "'They killed everything': Darfur survivor recounts deadly attack". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
- ^ Dabanga (8 July 2012). "Armed militias seize farms in Kreinik, West Darfur". Dabanga Radio TV Online. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
- ^ Dabanga (30 May 2021). "Angry protests follow deadly West Darfur market attack". Dabanga Radio TV Online. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ Staff (10 December 2021). "Dozens die and thousands flee in West Darfur tribal fighting". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
- ^ "Behind an ordinary massacre in Kreinik, Darfur". Le Monde.fr. 13 July 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
- ^ "Sudan: Kreinik town today is a burned-out spectre after the attack that happened last year". MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES – MIDDLE EAST. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
- ^ Newsroom, B. N. N. (27 July 2023). "Seizure and Siege: Rapid Support Forces Take Control in Darfur". BNN Breaking. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "RSF bars West Darfur residents from fleeing to Chad". Sudan Tribune. 19 November 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ^ "Sudan: Inter-communal conflict – Kereneik & Ag Geneina, West Darfur Flash Update No. 03 (2 May 2022)[EN/AR] | OCHA". www.unocha.org. 2 May 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ "Sudan Kereneik Conflict, West Darfur Situation Report No. 01 (As of 1 June 2022) | OCHA". www.unocha.org. 9 June 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ Salih, Zeinab Mohammed (26 April 2022). "Janjaweed militia blamed for attacks that left at least 200 dead in Darfur". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
- ^ "Darfur: Why are Sudan's Janjaweed on the attack again?". BBC News. 26 April 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2023.