Sudan Crisis Deepens: RSF Seizes Displacement Camp In Darfur After Deadly Assault

 

Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have taken control of a major displacement camp in North Darfur following a four-day offensive that left hundreds dead or injured, according to multiple sources.

The attack centered on the Zamzam camp, home to tens of thousands of people already uprooted by Sudan’s civil war. Together with the nearby Abu Shouk camp, the area shelters around 700,000 displaced individuals. Aid organizations reported that the offensive destroyed shelters, markets, and vital healthcare infrastructure, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis.

The RSF claimed the camp had been overtaken by what it called “mercenary factions,” a justification dismissed by humanitarian groups who described the operation as a brutal assault on civilians — including women, children, and the elderly — who are facing the twin threats of famine and violence.

Fighting in the region has intensified between the RSF and the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), a Darfuri militia aligned with Sudan’s national army. The SLA has been defending the city of al-Fashir, roughly 15 kilometers from Zamzam, alongside other local forces.

According to SLA spokesperson El-Sadiq Ali El-Nour, tens of thousands of camp residents fled to al-Fashir on foot, where they are now sleeping in the open without access to food, clean water, or medical aid. The influx has overwhelmed the city’s limited resources, and the humanitarian situation continues to worsen.

Al-Fashir itself came under heavy bombardment on Sunday, with the SLA reporting RSF shelling and ground assaults. The group has urgently appealed to Sudan’s armed forces and allied militias to intervene.

“The leadership of the armed forces must act swiftly to save the lives of approximately 1.5 million people in al-Fashir,” the SLA said in a statement. “Darfur must not fight alone.”

While the Sudanese army maintains a sizable presence in the city, it has yet to launch a major counteroffensive in response to the latest RSF advances.

The RSF, meanwhile, has denied targeting civilians, accusing rival groups of staging scenes to discredit it in the media. It claimed on Sunday to have facilitated voluntary evacuations for families fleeing the violence and said it welcomed humanitarian organizations to assist those affected.

Sudan’s conflict erupted in April 2023, fueled by a power struggle between the national army and the RSF. The war has derailed hopes for a democratic transition and plunged the country into chaos, displacing millions and devastating entire regions, particularly Darfur.

As the RSF attempts to solidify its control in Darfur while army forces push forward in Khartoum, the risk of further atrocities grows — and with it, the need for urgent international attention and humanitarian intervention.