A paramilitary force in Sudan has stormed the Zamzam displacement camp in North Darfur, looting homes and setting the market on fire, according to a local refugee group.
The camp, which shelters approximately 500,000 people living in famine conditions, has been subjected to intense artillery shelling since late last year.
However, this marks the first time the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been accused of directly infiltrating it.
Eyewitnesses described the attack as “extremely catastrophic,” with numerous casualties. The RSF, which is already besieging the nearby city of el-Fasher amid its ongoing battle with the Sudanese army, denied the allegations, stating they had only seized a nearby military base.
However, verified footage circulating on social media shows armed men celebrating amid flames, with the video recorder bearing RSF markings.
Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported receiving seven dead and 21 wounded at its hospital in Zamzam, though it lacks the capacity to treat all the injured.
North Darfur’s health minister, Ibrahim Abdullah Khater, said that many wounded individuals were unable to reach el-Fasher for medical care due to RSF roadblocks.
The humanitarian situation has worsened since late 2023, with aid organizations warning of escalating violence and no safe refuge left for displaced populations.
The siege of el-Fasher, the last army-controlled city in Darfur, began last April, with the RSF accused of ethnic cleansing against non-Arab communities. International organizations have condemned the ongoing attacks on displacement camps, warning that the crisis continues to spiral with no resolution in sight.
