A brutal multi-day assault launched by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Zamzam Camp near the city of al-Fasher has reportedly left hundreds of civilians dead or injured, according to Sudan’s foreign ministry, aid organizations, and local advocacy groups.
The attack, which began Thursday and continued through the weekend, has been described as one of the deadliest and most egregious violations of human rights since Sudan’s internal conflict erupted in April 2023. Zamzam Camp, once home to over 700,000 internally displaced people, is now the epicenter of what international observers are calling a “humanitarian collapse.”
The General Coordination of Displaced Persons and Refugees, an advocacy network active in the Darfur region, issued a grim statement on Saturday, declaring that “hundreds of people were killed or wounded, the majority of them women and children,” as RSF fighters overran the camp, setting ablaze homes, healthcare centers, and market stalls.
“This is nothing short of a war crime and a crime against humanity,” the statement read. It also confirmed that 35 additional civilians were killed earlier in the week during a separate RSF attack on Abu Shouk Camp, which similarly shelters thousands of displaced Sudanese.
UN Humanitarian Coordinator Clementine Nkweta-Salami expressed horror over the incidents, reporting that at least 100 people have been confirmed dead across the two camps. “These were safe havens, turned into killing fields,” she said, highlighting that many families now have no food, no shelter, no medical care, and no safe passage.
The last remaining humanitarian lifeline in Zamzam Camp—Relief International’s clinic—was overtaken during the assault. The organization reported that nine staff members, including doctors, nurses, and drivers, were killed during the attack.
“Our clinic, the last accessible healthcare service in Zamzam, was deliberately targeted,” said Relief International in a statement. “This was a direct assault on Sudan’s most vulnerable: the elderly, children, and women. We are devastated and call for immediate international protection.”
With the destruction of the clinic, over 700,000 displaced persons are now left with no medical assistance as famine, disease, and violence continue to ravage the region.
The Rapid Support Forces denied all allegations, dismissing reports of the massacre as fabrications orchestrated by the Sudanese army and supported by a “media campaign” using “actors and staged footage.” In a statement, the RSF reiterated its “commitment to international humanitarian law” and labeled the footage circulating from Zamzam Camp as propaganda.
“We categorically deny targeting civilians. These reports are part of an ongoing disinformation effort to discredit our forces,” the RSF said.
However, aid groups, eyewitnesses, and local leaders on the ground have condemned the RSF’s response as evasive and misleading, with several videos and photos emerging that show widespread destruction and suffering within the camp.
Reuters has stated that it could not independently verify casualty numbers, but growing photographic and testimonial evidence paints a grim picture of the events.
As the death toll rises and Darfur teeters on the edge of total humanitarian collapse, international agencies are renewing calls for an immediate ceasefire and unrestricted access for humanitarian organizations.
“The humanitarian situation in al-Fasher is collapsing before our eyes,” said a spokesperson from the Coordination of Displaced Persons. “Famine is spreading, medicine is unavailable, and people are dying in plain sight.”
The United Nations and the African Union are expected to hold emergency consultations in the coming days to address the crisis and potentially impose international sanctions or initiate war crimes investigations against RSF commanders.
The conflict in Sudan began in April 2023 as a violent power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), derailing hopes of a democratic transition. The war has displaced millions of people, primarily in regions like Darfur, which has long been plagued by ethnic violence and militia warfare.
The RSF, which once operated as a government-backed militia during the infamous Darfur conflict of the early 2000s, is now fighting to retain control over western Sudan amid increasing SAF advances near Khartoum.
International observers warn that the situation could spiral into full-scale genocide if swift diplomatic and humanitarian action is not taken.
