Nearly half a million who fled Sudan's Zamzam camp still at risk from violence, MSF warns
The findings by the medical charity, published in a report titled Besieged, Attacked, Starved, said hundreds of thousands of people are at risk of atrocities being committed in North Darfur, where the camp is situated.
'The Rapid Support Forces [RSF] and their allies conducted a large-scale ground offensive in April on Zamzam displacement camp, outside El Fasher, causing an estimated 400,000 people to flee in less than three weeks in appalling conditions,' the report said.
'A large portion of the camp population fled to El Fasher, where they remain trapped, out of reach of humanitarian aid and exposed to attacks and further mass violence."
El Fasher is the only city in Darfur − a region of western Sudan about the size of France − that remains under army control, with the rest held by the RSF. The city has been besieged by the RSF since May last year, with the army's 6th Infantry Division and allied groups its last defenders. Many of El Fasher's residents have fled to escape the fighting.
MSF urged 'the warring parties to halt indiscriminate and ethnically targeted violence, and facilitate an immediate large-scale humanitarian response'.
The harrowing level of violence on the roads out of El Fasher and Zamzam means many people are trapped or are taking life-threatening risks to escape the city, the report said.
'Men and boys are at high risk of killing and abduction, while women and girls are subjected to widespread sexual violence,' it said.
MSF said it was 'extremely concerned about the threats of a full-blown assault on the hundreds of thousands of people in the state capital of El Fasher, which would lead to further bloodshed'.
The RSF and the army have been locked in a devastating civil war since April 2023. At least 40,000 people have been killed and nearly 13 million displaced, including to other countries, according to figures from the UN.
'As patients and communities tell their stories to our teams and asked us to speak out, while their suffering is hardly on the international agenda, we felt compelled to document these patterns of relentless violence that have been crushing countless lives in general indifference and inaction over the past year," Mathilde Simon, MSF's humanitarian affairs adviser, said in the report.
The agency had to close down its medical services in El Fasher in August 2023 and in Zamzam camp in February this year because of attacks on healthcare workers and facilities.
'In May 2024 alone, health facilities supported by MSF in El Fasher endured at least seven incidents of shelling, bombing or shooting by all warring parties,' the report said.
The southern part of El Fasher saw renewed clashes between the army and the RSF this week despite the UN calling for a week-long ceasefire in the city to allow distribution of aid, a proposal the army accepted.
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Zawya
a day ago
- Zawya
Mass atrocities against civilians continue in El Fasher, Sudan
Fighting between warring parties is creating a desperate situation for civilians in El Fasher, Sudan, and its surrounding areas. MSF's new report exposes systematic patterns of violence in the area, that includes looting, mass killings, sexual violence, abductions, and starvation. MSF urges the warring parties to spare civilians and grant access for humanitarian organisations to provide critical aid to people in need. Mass atrocities are underway in Sudan's North Darfur region, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned in a report today, urging the warring parties of the conflict in Sudan to halt indiscriminate and ethnically targeted violence and facilitate an immediate large-scale humanitarian response. While daily fighting in El Fasher is already putting lives at risk, MSF is extremely concerned about the threats of a full-blown assault on the hundreds of thousands of people in the city. As fighting has intensified in the area since May 2024, civilians have continued to be the main victims. The report, Besieged, Attacked, Starved, outlines a desperate situation for civilians in and around El Fasher that requires immediate attention and response. 'People are not only caught in indiscriminate heavy fighting between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and their respective allies – but also actively targeted by the RSF and its allies, notably on the basis of their ethnicity,' says Michel Olivier Lacharité, MSF head of emergencies. Based on MSF data, direct observations and over 80 interviews conducted between May 2024 and May 2025 with patients and people who were displaced from El Fasher and nearby Zamzam camp, the report exposes systematic patterns of violence that includes looting, mass killings, sexual violence, abductions, starvation and attacks against markets, health facilities, and other civilian infrastructure. 'As patients and communities tell their stories to our teams and asked us to speak out, while their suffering is hardly on the international agenda, we felt compelled to document these patterns of relentless violence that have been crushing countless lives in general indifference and inaction over the past year,' says Mathilde Simon, MSF's humanitarian affairs advisor. Besieged, Attacked, Starved also details how the RSF and their allies conducted a large-scale ground offensive in April on Zamzam camp for displaced people, located outside of El Fasher, which caused an estimated 400,000 people to flee in less than three weeks in appalling conditions. A large portion of the camp's population fled to El Fasher, where they remained trapped, out of reach of humanitarian aid and exposed to attacks and further mass violence. Tens of thousands more escaped to Tawila, about 60 kilometres away, and to camps across the Chadian border, where hundreds of survivors of violence received care from MSF teams. 'In light of the ethnically motivated mass atrocities committed on the Masalit in West Darfur back in June 2023, and of the massacres perpetrated in Zamzam camp in North Darfur, we fear such a scenario will be repeated in El Fasher. This onslaught of violence must stop,' says Simon. Several witnesses report that RSF soldiers spoke of plans to 'clean El Fasher' of its non-Arab community. Since May 2024, the RSF and their allies have besieged El Fasher, Zamzam camp, and other surrounding localities, cutting communities off from food, water, and medical care. This has contributed to the spread of famine and debilitated the humanitarian response. Repeated attacks on healthcare facilities forced MSF to end our medical activities in El Fasher in August 2024 and in Zamzam camp in February 2025. In May 2024 alone, health facilities supported by MSF in El Fasher endured at least seven incidents of shelling, bombing or shooting by all warring parties. Indiscriminate airstrikes conducted by the SAF had devastating consequences. 'The SAF bombed our neighbourhood by mistake, then came to apologise. SAF planes sometimes bombed civilian areas without any RSF [presence], I saw it in different places,' says one woman. The harrowing level of violence on the roads out of El Fasher and Zamzam means that many people are trapped or take life-threatening risks when fleeing. Men and boys are at high risk of killing and abduction, while women and girls are subjected to widespread sexual violence. Most witnesses also report increased risks for Zaghawa communities. 'Nobody could get out [of El Fasher] if they said they were Zaghawa,' says a displaced woman. Another man tells us that RSF and its allies were 'asking people if they belonged to the Zaghawa, and if they did, they would kill them'. 'They would only let mothers with small children under the age of five through,' says a woman about her journey fleeing to eastern Chad. 'Other children and adult men didn't go through. Men over fifteen can hardly cross the border [into Chad]. They take them, they push them aside and then we only hear a noise, gunshots, indicating that they are dead, that they have been killed […] Fifty families came along with me. Not even one boy of 15 years old or above was among us.' The catastrophic nutrition situation continued deteriorating as the siege tightened on Zamzam camp. '[Three months ago] in Zamzam, we sometimes had three days a week without eating,' one man tells our teams. 'Children died from malnutrition. We were eating ambaz [residue of peanuts ground for oil], like everyone, although usually it's used for animals,' says a displaced woman. 'Zamzam was completely blocked,' another displaced person tells us. 'Water wells depend on fuel and there was no access to fuel, so all of them stopped working. Water was very limited and very expensive.' MSF urges the warring parties to spare civilians and respect their obligations under international humanitarian law. The RSF and their allies must immediately stop ethnic violence perpetrated against non-Arab communities, lift the siege of El Fasher, and guarantee safe routes for civilians fleeing violence. Safe unrestricted access to El Fasher and its surroundings must be granted for humanitarian agencies to provide critically needed assistance. International actors, including UN institutions and members states, and states who provide support to the warring parties must urgently mobilise and exert pressure to prevent further mass violence and allow emergency aid delivery. The recent unilateral announcements of a possible local ceasefire have not yet been translated into concrete change on the ground, and time is running out. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Médecins sans frontières (MSF).
The National
a day ago
- The National
Nearly half a million who fled Sudan's Zamzam camp still at risk from violence, MSF warns
At least 400,000 people have fled Sudan's Zamzam displacement camp in less than three weeks due to heavy violence and fighting, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said on Thursday. The findings by the medical charity, published in a report titled Besieged, Attacked, Starved, said hundreds of thousands of people are at risk of atrocities being committed in North Darfur, where the camp is situated. 'The Rapid Support Forces [RSF] and their allies conducted a large-scale ground offensive in April on Zamzam displacement camp, outside El Fasher, causing an estimated 400,000 people to flee in less than three weeks in appalling conditions,' the report said. 'A large portion of the camp population fled to El Fasher, where they remain trapped, out of reach of humanitarian aid and exposed to attacks and further mass violence." El Fasher is the only city in Darfur − a region of western Sudan about the size of France − that remains under army control, with the rest held by the RSF. The city has been besieged by the RSF since May last year, with the army's 6th Infantry Division and allied groups its last defenders. Many of El Fasher's residents have fled to escape the fighting. MSF urged 'the warring parties to halt indiscriminate and ethnically targeted violence, and facilitate an immediate large-scale humanitarian response'. The harrowing level of violence on the roads out of El Fasher and Zamzam means many people are trapped or are taking life-threatening risks to escape the city, the report said. 'Men and boys are at high risk of killing and abduction, while women and girls are subjected to widespread sexual violence,' it said. MSF said it was 'extremely concerned about the threats of a full-blown assault on the hundreds of thousands of people in the state capital of El Fasher, which would lead to further bloodshed'. The RSF and the army have been locked in a devastating civil war since April 2023. At least 40,000 people have been killed and nearly 13 million displaced, including to other countries, according to figures from the UN. 'As patients and communities tell their stories to our teams and asked us to speak out, while their suffering is hardly on the international agenda, we felt compelled to document these patterns of relentless violence that have been crushing countless lives in general indifference and inaction over the past year," Mathilde Simon, MSF's humanitarian affairs adviser, said in the report. The agency had to close down its medical services in El Fasher in August 2023 and in Zamzam camp in February this year because of attacks on healthcare workers and facilities. 'In May 2024 alone, health facilities supported by MSF in El Fasher endured at least seven incidents of shelling, bombing or shooting by all warring parties,' the report said. The southern part of El Fasher saw renewed clashes between the army and the RSF this week despite the UN calling for a week-long ceasefire in the city to allow distribution of aid, a proposal the army accepted.
Middle East Eye
a day ago
- Middle East Eye
RSF advance on Libyan border marks new phase in spread of Sudan's war
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and allied troops have placed Sudan's northern border region near Egypt on high alert, as the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) make significant advances after seizing control of the strategic border triangle with Libya and Egypt. The development signals a new phase in the regionalisation of Sudan's ongoing conflict. It has heightened tensions not only with Egypt (one of SAF's key allies) but also with Libyan forces loyal to General Khalifa Haftar, who has been accused of supporting the RSF's advance. Although the RSF has lost vast territories in the centre of the country following SAF's recapture of Khartoum, al-Jazira and Sennar states, this recent gain is considered crucial. Sources indicate the RSF is now preparing to announce a parallel government in western Sudan. The contested triangle area is also believed to be the site of unreported clashes between SAF and RSF over control of gold mines, critical supply routes and smuggling corridors that serve both logistics and trade. Eyewitnesses and miners who fled the area following the RSF's advance, allegedly supported by Libyan forces, say they were looted and attacked by RSF fighters, prompting them to abandon their belongings and escape to save their lives. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters One miner, who requested anonymity for security reasons, told Middle East Eye that he and several fellow miners walked over 30km to reach Egypt's border crossing points. There, he said, the Egyptian army transported them to the Sudanese side of the Argeen border crossing. 'After the RSF's attacks, the looting, and the widespread violations in the triangle area, we realised we had to leave immediately,' he said. 'But we also heard that Sudanese people were being mistreated by Libyan militias in al-Kufra.' The miner said that making the journey to Egypt on foot was the only choice they had. 'At its core, this is a fight over wealth and power, and the gold-rich triangle border region is a perfect example of that' - Sudan researcher 'Going back towards Sudan meant falling straight into RSF hands. We had no option but to walk towards Egypt, even though we knew the border was officially closed.' He added that the Egyptian authorities allowed them to pass and escorted them safely back into Sudanese territory. Another miner said the RSF had raided al-Katma market, one of the four main markets in the region, where he worked in gold extraction. He reported that RSF fighters looted all possessions, including money, cars, gold, mobile phones and other valuables. 'We walked for two days without rest until we reached the Egyptian border,' he told MEE. 'The Egyptian army then transported us to the Sudanese border, where we crossed back into Sudan. However, we lost everything. Now we rely entirely on the assistance provided by Sudanese authorities and local initiatives in Halfa and Dongola.' The RSF has rejected the looting and abuse accusations, posting videos on its Telegram channel purporting to show miners and civilians in the triangle area welcoming RSF troops. In one video, an RSF commander is seen addressing a large crowd in a marketplace, promising to protect the population and ensure the security of local businesses. Another video shows an RSF commander speaking to groups of migrants, pledging to help them continue their desert journeys. However, Wasfy Osman Gadeed, secretary general of the Halfa Popular Council, told MEE that thousands of people have fled the fighting in the triangle area and have been received in Halfa after entering Sudan via the Argeen crossing. 'We have received large numbers of those fleeing the conflict,' Gadeed said. 'Thanks to local community initiatives, we've managed to provide them with assistance, and we are working to transport many of them to Dongola.' Meanwhile, the International Organization for Migration said that more than 4,000 people, many of them minors and including non-Sudanese nationals, have fled the RSF attack. Fears of RSF control RSF fighters being sighted in parts of Sudan's Northern State have fuelled widespread fears, with the militia repeatedly threatening to seize control of the area. Following its capture of the triangle border region, the RSF has advanced towards Karab Altoum, an oasis near the Owainat mountains. The paramilitary group now controls most of North Darfur, where it has laid siege to the state capital, el-Fasher, for more than a year. In another escalation, the RSF has also attempted to attack villages around Aldaba city on the western bank of the River Nile in Northern State. Strategic locations such as Wadi Alatroon (Alatroon Valley) and al-Malha in North Darfur have seen a back-and-forth struggle between former Darfur rebels and RSF forces. The prospect of RSF attacks has terrified local populations. Some civilians have fled their villages, seeking refuge in safer areas, while others have armed themselves, vowing to defend their land. 'We've partnered with the popular resistance committees to train young people, stockpile weapons and store them under military supervision' - A member of the Halfa Youth Committee In response, the local authorities in Northern State have called for widespread mobilisation of the SAF to defend the region. The SAF, along with its allied militias, including joint forces of former Darfur rebels, has deployed reinforcements to key locations such as Aldaba, Alkhanag, Dongola and other cities. One resident from Dongola city told MEE that many people from villages on the western bank of the Nile, including Alkhanag and Gobat Salim, have fled across to the eastern bank. 'Joint forces, including former Darfur rebels, have been deployed in Alkhanag, particularly inside the gold market. This has sent worrying signals to miners and civilians that an RSF attack may be imminent, which prompted many to flee,' he said. Khalaf Allah Mohamed Abdo, a resident of Halfa city, told MEE by phone that markets in Alkhanag, Abdry, Dal and other nearby areas had initially closed when rumours spread that the RSF was planning an assault. 'Things are gradually returning to normal now,' he said. 'But most people are prepared to take up arms to defend the state. Military training has already begun, and thousands of volunteers have stepped forward.' A member of the Halfa Youth Committee told MEE that local communities have set aside their internal disputes and united against the common threat posed by the RSF. 'We are preparing for all possible scenarios,' he said. 'We've partnered with the popular resistance committees to train young people, stockpile weapons, and store them under military supervision.' The source requested anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media. 'Military manoeuvre' A military expert, who also asked not to be named for security reasons, told MEE that RSF fighters are advancing along multiple fronts across the desert regions of North Darfur and Northern State. He argued that the RSF's primary objective is to secure control over vast desert areas and border crossings with neighbouring countries to re-establish critical supply lines after suffering significant territorial losses elsewhere. 'I think the RSF's threats to attack Northern State may be part of a larger military manoeuvre,' he said. 'By signalling an imminent assault, the RSF is forcing SAF and its allies into a defensive posture, allowing the paramilitary group to focus on securing the strategic desert and border routes.' The contested triangle border region, stretching over approximately 1,500km, includes the Owainat mountains, an essential crossing point between Sudan and Libya. The route has long served as a key corridor for Sudanese people travelling to Libya, particularly after the war began. Even prior to the conflict, it was frequently used by irregular migrants and human traffickers. While Libya's border remains open, Egypt has closed its borders and is closely monitoring the situation. However, Egyptian authorities permitted most of the miners who fled following the RSF attack to pass through Egypt and return to Sudan. The RSF's control of the triangle border has granted the group additional strategic leverage. With plans to announce a parallel government in Darfur, the RSF now controls border access to five countries: South Sudan, the Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Libya and Egypt. 'The Sudan-Libya border has long been a major entry point for weapons and mercenaries supporting the RSF, financed by the UAE and coordinated through Haftar's forces' - Sudanese Military Capabilities Platform report This geographic advantage offers the RSF potential flexibility in future cross-border trade, arms supply and logistics networks. Despite these territorial gains, the military expert told MEE that the RSF's current movements may carry limited military weight and instead serve as political compensation for the group's substantial battlefield losses elsewhere in the country. Meanwhile, tensions have escalated along the Sudan-Libya border following mutual accusations between the SAF and the Libyan National Army (LNA), led by General Khalifa Haftar. The SAF, which has since announced its withdrawal from the area, accused Haftar's Salafist-aligned militia - specifically the Subul al-Salam Brigade (also known as the Salafi Brigade) - of participating in the RSF attack. Sudanese officials also accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of backing the assault, while Haftar's forces claimed that Sudan was trying to externalise its internal crisis by dragging Libya into the conflict. The Sudanese Military Capabilities Platform, a think tank aligned with the SAF, identified the leader of the brigade responsible for the attacks as Abdul Rahman Hashim al-Kilani, who reportedly controls much of southern Libya from his base in al-Kufra. According to the think tank, Kilani has consistently provided weapons and logistical support to the RSF since the outbreak of the war. 'The Sudan-Libya border has long been a major entry point for weapons and mercenaries supporting the RSF militia, financed by the UAE and coordinated through Haftar's forces and affiliated armed groups,' the think tank said in a recent report. 'These forces, following the RSF's repeated battlefield defeats, have now resorted to direct military intervention to support the militia's remaining operations.' The think tank also published photos and videos purportedly showing Libyan and RSF fighters together in the triangle border area. Competing interests over gold Moumen Abdul Rahman, a mining engineer based in Northern State, believes the RSF has an additional motive for advancing into the region: to retake control of gold mines it previously held before the war erupted. According to Abdul Rahman, the RSF previously owned at least three gold mines in the Akasha area on the eastern bank of the Nile, near Wadi Halfa. The militia reportedly held shares in these mines through a joint venture with the Turkish-Qatari company DELGO, as well as in sites located on the western bank of the Nile near Dongola. He noted that the RSF withdrew from these areas just days before the outbreak of the war in Khartoum, particularly after seizing the Merowe military airport three days before the fighting began. The smugglers and miners running gold on the Egypt-Sudan border Read More » MEE contacted Sudan's ministry of mineral resources to verify these claims but received no response. A researcher familiar with the matter told MEE that the RSF previously owned full or partial stakes in several mines in Northern State through its commercial arm, Al Junaid Company. These assets were later confiscated by Sudanese authorities before the company was added to the United States' sanctions list for allegedly fuelling the war. The researcher, who requested anonymity for security reasons, explained that both warring sides have aggressively targeted each other's financial networks as part of a broader strategy to cut off funding sources. 'The confiscation of RSF-linked companies, gold mines, assets, bank accounts and other commercial interests is a significant dimension of this conflict,' the researcher said. Further insights from the Sudanese think tank Demands-Based Groups TAM, shared with MEE, suggest that the RSF had previously seized a number of mining areas in Northern State that were formerly controlled by associates of the ousted Bashir regime, including family members, security officials and corrupt business networks. In its study titled 'DELGO Company: The Real Face of the Sudanese War', the think tank found that the RSF inherited control over gold mines in al-Qaoub, Halfa, Delgo and other regions after the 2019 revolution. Public pressure had been growing at the time for these mines to be shut down amid widespread concerns over resource exploitation and environmental degradation. However, the SAF regained control of these mining areas following the outbreak of the war in 2023, after the RSF fighters previously stationed to guard the sites fled. Gold mining triangle The gold-rich triangle border area has long been a crucial supply hub for the RSF, as well as for the joint Darfur forces, former rebel groups now allied with the SAF in the ongoing war. These joint forces have been actively fighting the RSF in Darfur, particularly around el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State. 'You made a mistake trying to leave': Crossing enemy lines in the heart of Sudan Read More » The region encompasses four major mining zones, including Algilayaa and Alkatma, where thousands of miners from various countries are engaged in gold extraction. Beyond its economic importance, the RSF has maintained a longstanding military presence in the triangle border area. Its Chevrelet military base has been used since 2014 to combat human trafficking, irregular migration and cross-border crime as part of the Khartoum Process, an EU-backed initiative to manage migration flows through Sudan. The same researcher who spoke to MEE on condition of anonymity and has visited the area multiple times said the two warring factions (the SAF and RSF) have been in a protracted conflict of interest over control of the region's lucrative gold mines, even before the war officially began. The RSF's commercial arm, Al Junaid Company, was granted a mining concession in the area in 2018 and 2019. However, Ariab Mining Company, which is aligned with the SAF, was also awarded a concession for the same territory, reflecting competition between Sudan's military and paramilitary forces that predates the current conflict. 'Looking at these underlying disputes and competing interests helps us understand some of the deeper reasons behind this war,' the researcher said. 'At its core, this is a fight over wealth and power, and the gold-rich triangle border region is a perfect example of that.'
