The Sudanese paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has escalated its attacks on the Zamzam refugee camp near el-Fasher, capital of North Darfur, with three assaults within the past week, residents and medics reported. At least seven people have been killed in the camp this week, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which noted that medical teams are unable to conduct surgeries due to the violence.
The RSF is reportedly trying to consolidate its control over Darfur, a region that has long been a stronghold for the group. The fighting in Sudan, now in its 22nd month, has seen the RSF holding most of Darfur and much of the neighboring Kordofan region, while the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have gained ground in the capital, Khartoum.
The violence in Zamzam, home to 500,000 displaced people, has been compounded by the use of heavy weapons, and the RSF has repeatedly surrounded the camp. Many residents, fearing for their lives, have sought shelter in underground holes as a means of protection during the attacks. The RSF accuses the camp of harboring fighters from the Joint Forces, former rebel groups aligned with the army.
The United Nations has condemned the violence, with spokesperson Stephane Dujarric urging both sides to halt the fighting. Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the UN’s top humanitarian official in Sudan, expressed shock over the attacks and the blocking of escape routes, while the RSF has also restricted aid access to the camp.
The UN has warned that North Darfur, especially Zamzam, is experiencing “the worst form of hunger,” with critical levels of malnutrition. MSF had to halt a nutrition program for 6,000 malnourished children after the latest round of violence. At a humanitarian conference in Addis Ababa, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the situation a “catastrophe on a staggering scale” and urged more immediate action to help the people of Sudan.