Death toll from RSF attack on Sudan's Zamzam refugee camp rises to 74
The ongoing assault, which began Friday, has continued into its second day, with reports of renewed clashes and civilian casualties.
Local sources and resistance committees say the RSF has launched repeated attacks on the camp, targeting homes, religious schools, and medical facilities.
According to the army, the RSF attacked the camp twice on Friday. While the first assault from the western side was repelled by government and allied forces, the second incursion resulted in widespread destruction, including the burning of homes and the killing of dozens of civilians.
In a statement, the army said at least 74 people had been killed and 17 others wounded. The Sudanese government strongly condemned the attack, calling it 'a deliberate assault on innocent civilians.'
The General Coordination of Displaced Persons and Refugees in Darfur described the situation as 'extremely critical' and said another attack was carried out Saturday morning. It warned that civilians, including children and aid workers, remain in grave danger.Local resistance committees reported that several students at the Khalwa Sheikh Farah Quranic school were killed in the assault, along with healthcare workers operating in the camp.The RSF has not issued a statement on the incident.The attack is the latest atrocity in the ongoing conflict between the RSF and the Sudanese army, which erupted in April 2023.The war has devastated Sudan, killing more than 20,000 people and displacing over 15 million, according to UN data. Independent research from U.S.-based analysts suggests the actual death toll may exceed 130,000.Despite the military reclaiming the capital Khartoum last month, violence continues to rage in other parts of the country, particularly in Darfur, where civilians have repeatedly borne the brunt of the fighting. — Agencies
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
18 hours ago
- Arab News
Paramilitary attack kills 48 in central Sudan village: war monitor
PORT SUDAN: Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) killed 48 civilians in an attack on a village in the center of the war-torn country, a monitoring group reported Monday. The Emergency Lawyers, a group that has documented atrocities throughout the two-year conflict between the regular army and the RSF, reported civilians were killed en masse Sunday when paramilitary fighters stormed the village of Um Garfa in North Kordofan state, razing houses and looting property.
Saudi Gazette
a day ago
- Saudi Gazette
RSF storms cattle market and prison in 'death trap' Sudanese city
KAMPALA — The Sudanese paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) stormed the besieged city of el-Fasher on Friday in a battle that raged for seven hours, witnesses told the BBC. RSF fighters managed to capture a cattle market, a prison and a military base while broadcasting videos of themselves walking around empty stockyards. It was the first time RSF fighters had entered the city in large numbers since the siege of el-Fasher - an ongoing battle for control of the western Darfur city - began 15 months ago. On Saturday morning, the army retaliated and succeeded in pushing the RSF back beyond el-Fasher's limits. But Mathilde Vu, from the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), described the city as a "death trap". "What we're hearing is stories of horror and terror and weekly shelling, attacks on civilian infrastructure," Ms Vu told the BBC Newshour program. "There are local volunteers - they are really struggling, risking their lives every day to try and provide a little bit of food for people who are mostly starving." Siddig Omar, a 65-year-old resident of el-Fasher, told the BBC the RSF entered the city on Friday from the south and south-west. The RSF, whose fighters have been mustering in trenches dug around the city, frequently attack el-Fasher. According to the army, this was their 220th offensive. But this time, during a battle that raged for seven hours, they managed to take control of the city's livestock market, which has been closed for business for several months. From here, they broadcast videos of their fighters walking around empty stockyards. They also briefly held Shalla prison and the headquarters of the military's Central Reserve Forces. On Saturday morning, the army retaliated and succeeded in pushing the RSF back beyond the city limits, saying it had inflicted "heavy losses" on the paramilitary group. But Omar said RSF shelling - using drones - continued throughout Saturday. "One of the shells hit a civilian vehicle near my house resulting in the death of five civilians who were inside the car," he said. Sudan plunged into a civil war in April 2023 after a vicious struggle for power broke out between its army and the RSF. It has led to a famine and claims of genocide in the western Darfur region. More than 150,000 people have died in the conflict across the country, and about 12 million have fled their homes in what the United Nations has called the world's largest humanitarian crisis. El-Fasher is the only city in Darfur now controlled by the military. But a communications blackout makes it difficult to confirm information from the besieged city, as only those with satellite internet connections are contactable. The latest RSF offensive followed weeks of artillery and drone attacks. The group recently started using large drone aircraft. The army accuses the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of funding the RSF, an allegation the oil-rich Gulf state denies. This weekend's attack comes three months after the RSF overran Zamzam camp on the outskirts of el-Fasher. It had been the largest displacement camp in the country and many of its residents either escaped into el-Fashir or tried to make it to Tawila, 60km (about 40 miles) away. Ms Vu, NRC's advocacy manager in Sudan, said the team in Tawila has continued to hear horrific stories as people desperately try to find safety. "People fleeing at night by foot, on donkeys - trying to escape armed men targeting them, maybe raping them," she said. "We're getting people arriving into Tawila who are thirsty, who haven't eaten for weeks." Nearly 379,000 people have now fled to Tawila, where they are facing an outbreak of cholera and expected heavy rain is likely to destroy makeshift shelters. This week, residents of el-Fasher told the BBC Arabic's emergency radio programme more about their dire situation. "Right now, we are suffering deeply, and everyone around us is facing the same hardship," one man said. "There is no bread, no food, and no work to be found. Even if you have money, there's nothing available in the markets to buy. "When someone gets sick, we can't find any medicine or treatment. "There are no medicines in hospitals. The situation here is truly terrible." Another man said until recently, residents had been relying on something called "ombaz", a food waste left over after pressing oil from peanut shells. "We are in a very critical situation," he said. "Even ombaz is no longer available, as the peanut factories have stopped working. "We are calling out for help - please, we urgently need assistance." Ms Vu bemoaned the international community's apathy when it came to engaging with the warring parties and their backers. "The funding is completely decreasing and the consequence is that you can see it on the ground," she said. "People [in el-Fasher] just rely on the solidarity of others. "If they have a little bit of food, they will be sharing it among themselves." Last week, the International Criminal Court (ICC) said there were "reasonable grounds" to believe war crimes and crimes against humanity are being committed in Darfur. Allegations of war crimes have persisted throughout the past two years, and in January 2025 the US determined that the RSF and allied militias had committed genocide against the region's non-Arab population. — BBC
Asharq Al-Awsat
2 days ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Sudanese Army Recaptures Positions from RSF in El Fasher
The Sudanese army carried out a surprise military operation in the early hours of Saturday in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, regaining several positions in the city's far southwest that it had previously abandoned to advancing Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Military sources reported that calm returned to El Fasher after intense clashes on Friday between the army and RSF fighters, who attempted a major offensive to deepen their hold inside the city. In a statement, the army said its Sixth Infantry Division successfully repelled a fresh RSF attack, inflicting heavy losses in personnel and equipment, and restored control over all frontline areas. RSF militants had infiltrated southern neighborhoods, seizing the Central Security Reserve headquarters and the Shalla prison. According to army sources, these forces were pushed back through ground combat supported by extensive drone strikes, forcing them to retreat to their original positions. The sources confirmed there were no significant breakthroughs or territorial gains by the RSF following the operation. In a statement on Saturday, Prime Minister Kamel Idris expressed 'deep anger, pain, and responsibility' over the worsening humanitarian disaster in El Fasher. He condemned the 'suffocating and inhumane siege imposed by the RSF militia,' describing it as 'one of the most brutal cases of collective extortion and systematic starvation in recent history.' Idris vowed that the government would not stand idly by in the face of this 'atrocious' crime and pledged to use all political, diplomatic, and humanitarian means to break the siege and ensure urgent aid reaches civilians trapped in El Fasher amid widespread starvation and international silence. He called on United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, along with international and humanitarian organizations, to act immediately to pressure the militia to open humanitarian corridors and end the use of starvation as a weapon against civilians. The prime minister highlighted the RSF's refusal to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2736, which demands lifting the siege on El Fasher, and their rejection of UN calls for a humanitarian ceasefire. He held the militia responsible for obstructing aid and accountable for the ongoing starvation and terror inflicted on civilians. Idris warned against silence over these crimes, including the killing of civilians fleeing the siege and bombardments. He also cited the systematic destruction of hospitals by RSF suicide drone and strategic attacks, threatening the lives of millions of innocent civilians. 'What is happening in El Fasher is a major crime committed in full view and hearing of the world,' he said, urging the international community to move beyond lukewarm statements to real action and pressure on those besieging, starving, and attacking civilians. The RSF continues to attempt to seize the city and its army base, the last stronghold of government forces across all Darfur states. Military sources said defenders repelled the assault and inflicted heavy casualties on the attackers. The RSF has maintained a tight siege on El Fasher since May 2024, blocking all roads and supply routes and preventing humanitarian aid from entering, resulting in hundreds of civilian deaths from starvation and medical shortages.
