More than 200 civilians killed as Sudan’s RSF attacks Darfur displacement camps
Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitaries in Sudan have killed more than 200 civilians in a wave of attacks on displacement camps and around the town of El Fasher, the last major town still held by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in the North Darfur region. The deaths include at least 56 civilians killed by the RSF paramilitary group during two days of attacks in Um Kadadah.
The violence is some of the worst in Sudan's Darfur region since the civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began almost exactly two years ago.
The UN said killings continued in two large displacement camps, including of all medical staff from Relief International, which operated the only remaining clinic inside Zamzam camp. Rapid Support Forces (RSF) reportedly burned buildings across Zamzam on Sunday, claiming they were searching for Sudanese government fighters hiding in the camps.
The United States has condemned both sides in the war, claiming that the RSF has committed genocide in Darfur and that the military has attacked civilians.
The conflict has divided Sudan in two: the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) dominate the north and east, while the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) control most of Darfur and parts of the south. The war has killed tens of thousands of people, uprooted more than 12 million, and created what the International Rescue Committee (IRC) described as "the largest humanitarian crisis ever recorded."
The weekend deaths add pressure to UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy to deliver a decisive response on the protection of civilians when he convenes a ministerial conference on Sudan in London on Tuesday.
The conference of 20 countries and organizations will inevitably focus its attention on the United Arab Emirates, a former ally of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), to issue an unequivocal statement of condemnation.
The attacks in Um Kadadah, about 180 km (112 miles) east of El Fasher, came a day after Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fighters claimed to have recaptured the town from the Sudanese army. The victims were apparently targeted because of their ethnic origin.
Lammy tweeted: "Shocking reports are emerging from El Fasher, Darfur, where indiscriminate attacks by Rapid Support Forces (RSFs) have killed civilians, including aid workers. This reinforces the urgency of the conference on Sudan to be held Tuesday in London with international partners. All parties must commit to the protection of civilians."
The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, said she was "shocked and deeply alarmed by reports from the Zamzam and Abu Shouk displacement camps, as well as the town of El Fasher in North Darfur." Both camps protect some 700,000 civilians displaced by previous violence and famine.
The Yale School of Public Health's Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) said it observed that "arson attacks have burned multiple structures and significant areas of Zamzam Camp in the central, southern, and southeastern parts of the camp."
The UN reported that Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched coordinated ground and air attacks against the camps and El Fasher from multiple directions on April 11, triggering intense fighting and having catastrophic consequences for the civilian population. He also said that more than 100 people are feared dead, including more than 20 children, including nine members of Relief International.
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) claimed that more than 70 people were killed in El Fasher alone. The exact death toll could not be verified due to deliberate internet shutdowns implemented by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Last month, the Sudanese army recaptured the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, about 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) to the east.
Adam Regal, spokesman for the General Coordination for Refugees and Displaced Persons in Darfur, said Zamzam and Abou Shouk remained under artillery bombardment and an attack by RSF armored vehicles on Sunday.
Relief International said of the loss of its staff: "We understand this was a targeted attack on the entire health infrastructure in the region to prevent internally displaced people from accessing medical care. We are horrified that one of our clinics was also involved in this attack, along with other health centers in El Fasher."
Both the Biden and Trump administrations in the United States have claimed that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have committed genocide in Darfur and that the military has targeted civilians. Last week, the Sudanese government took the United Arab Emirates to the International Court of Justice, the UN's highest tribunal, alleging complicity in genocide.
Kate Ferguson, Co-Director of Protection Approaches, said: "It appears that Rapid Support Forces (RSFs) are attacking Zamzam, Abu Shouk and El Fasher simultaneously for the first time, including a ground assault at Zamzam. This represents a significant escalation of violence against the civilian population in North Darfur and requires an immediate diplomatic response.
He added that he feared that "such a coordinated military effort by the RSF would represent the beginning of the attack we have all long feared, including further acts of genocide and crimes against humanity, and should trigger all necessary diplomatic and emergency responses."