Sudan Displacement Camp Under Siege Amid Escalating Humanitarian Crisis

In North Darfur's Zamzam camp, a significant center for displacees, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have conducted a violent raid, reportedly resulting in casualties and further dislocation of residents grappling with famine. This unrest, set against the backdrop of a prolonged civil war, highlights the worsening humanitarian situation in Sudan.

A paramilitary force in Sudan has been accused of raiding the Zamzam displacement camp, which currently shelters around 500,000 individuals bearing the brunt of famine conditions. Reports indicate that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) entered the camp, looting and setting ablaze a market and several homes. This assault, characterized by intense artillery shelling targeting the camp since late last year, marks a disturbing escalation in violence, particularly as it pertains to the RSF's involvement.

An eyewitness described the circumstances as "extremely catastrophic," pointing to numerous casualties, compounded by the camp’s hospital being non-operational for surgeries. El-Fasher, the nearest city and a focal point in the ongoing civil war that erupted in 2023, has also fallen under siege by the RSF as they engage in conflict with the Sudanese military. Questions arise over the past alliance between the RSF and the military, leading to their eventual rift over attempts to achieve civilian governance.

The Sudanese IDPs and Refugees Bloc confirmed that the RSF invaded Zamzam camp on a recent Tuesday. Despite these claims, an RSF spokesperson refuted the incursion, suggesting that the group had merely taken a nearby military base from allies of the Sudanese military after enduring several days of bombardment from those positions.

In the wake of the chaos, thousands of displaced individuals have been forced to flee, exacerbating an already critical humanitarian crisis in a camp affected by intense violence. North Darfur’s Health Minister Ibrahim Abdullah Khater noted that the injured from the assault cannot seek treatment in el-Fasher, as RSF blockades prevent access.

Previously, Zamzam camp had been relatively unaffected by direct violence, but since late last year, it has increasingly come under fire. Humanitarian organizations, including Doctors Without Borders, have attributed the gunfire to the RSF, prompting concerns over a broader pattern of aggression towards displacement camps throughout the region.

An international coalition of non-governmental organizations issued a statement in December expressing alarm over the violence at Zamzam, recognizing it as a significant uptick in hostilities in an area that had, until then, enjoyed some measure of safety. The ongoing siege of el-Fasher, now the last city under army control in Darfur, steers attention toward the RSF's suspected ethnic cleansing practices against non-Arab populations amidst this burgeoning crisis.