Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has suspended its operations at the Zamzam camp in Sudan’s North Darfur region due to a significant escalation in fighting between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The violence in the vicinity of the camp, which has resulted in widespread displacement and destruction, has made it impossible for the organization to continue providing critical humanitarian aid to those in need.
The fighting intensified over the weekend of February 11-12, 2025, with MSF reporting that its field hospital had received 130 patients, most of whom were suffering from gunshot and shrapnel wounds. However, the facility, originally set up to address the camp’s severe malnutrition crisis, was ill-equipped to treat trauma patients, resulting in the deaths of 11 individuals, including five children.
Yahya Kalilah, MSF’s head of mission in Sudan, expressed the heartbreaking nature of the decision to suspend operations, stating that the team was faced with severe logistical challenges, including difficulty sending supplies, a lack of experienced medical staff, and dangerous travel conditions. MSF also noted that the ongoing fighting had compromised access to food and water, with the camp’s central market looted and burned.
Zamzam camp, which hosts approximately 500,000 displaced people, has seen an influx of families fleeing violence from other parts of Darfur. MSF teams have been receiving reports of abuses, including killings, sexual violence, looting, and beatings in the affected areas.
MSF’s decision comes amid the broader conflict in Sudan that began in April 2023, when fighting broke out between the Sudanese military and RSF. The war has resulted in over 24,000 deaths, displacement of more than 14 million people, and widespread famine across the country.