The ongoing conflict in Sudan continues to escalate, particularly in the Zamzam refugee camp located near El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur. Recent reports indicate that the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have intensified their assaults on the camp, which has been encircled multiple times over the past week. This troubling situation has left residents and humanitarian workers deeply concerned about the safety and wellbeing of those displaced.
As detailed by Doctors Without Borders (MSF), at least seven individuals lost their lives in the camp within the last week, with medical personnel hindered from conducting surgeries due to the severe violence. The spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric, highlighted that the renewed fighting has involved the use of heavy weaponry, compelling the UN to call on both sides to cease hostilities and work toward a peaceful resolution.
After nearly 22 months of conflict between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), the RSF maintains control over significant portions of Darfur, as well as much of the bordering Kordofan region, while the SAF has gained ground in northern and eastern Sudan and made important territorial advances in Khartoum.
The Zamzam camp shelters approximately 500,000 internally displaced individuals from ongoing and past conflicts in Darfur. Nearby El-Fasher, home to 1.8 million residents, remains a crucial bastion against the RSF’s influence across Darfur. In recent months, the RSF has maintained a siege on the camp, asserting that it is a base for former rebel factions aligned with the SAF. Reports indicate that some residents have dug makeshift shelters in the ground, seeking refuge from the persistent assaults.
Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the top UN humanitarian official in Sudan, expressed her grave concern regarding the attacks on Zamzam and the obstruction of escape routes for the fleeing population. Humanitarian efforts in the camp have been further hampered by the RSF’s restrictions, compromising the delivery of critical assistance to those in need.
A UN-backed report released in August alarmingly suggested that parts of North Darfur, particularly the Zamzam camp, are experiencing extreme hunger classified as IPC Phase 5, a dire situation where a significant portion of the population faces severe food insecurity and risks of starvation. Following the recent violence, MSF was forced to discontinue its nutrition program aimed at aiding 6,000 malnourished children, bringing to light the grave health challenges facing the camp’s vulnerable population.
In a striking address at a humanitarian conference in Addis Ababa, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the conditions in Sudan as catastrophic in scale and severity. He emphasized the urgent need for increased humanitarian aid and called upon global leaders to leverage their influence to foster peace and support the Sudanese people as they navigate this harrowing crisis ahead of the holy month of Ramadan.
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