Khartoum: The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) has revealed in a report that Sudanese militia forces killed at least 1,013 civilians during an offensive on the Zamzam IDP camp between April 11 and 13. The report highlights the severe impact of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) offensive, which also displaced more than 400,000 residents of the camp within the three-day period.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the Zamzam refugee camp near El Fasher, North Darfur, was attacked and destroyed by the RSF in April. At the time of the attack, the camp was the largest in the region, housing several hundred thousand people. The RSF’s actions were part of a broader campaign targeting both military and civilian sites following its resistance to integration into the national army. This power struggle has led to what the UN describes as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, displacing approximately 12 million people across Sudan, with half of the population facing the threat of hunger.
The OHCHR report further details the atrocities committed during the offensive, listing killings, rapes, sexual violence, torture, and abductions as part of a consistent pattern of grave violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws. The report also notes the RSF’s blockade of essential supplies, including food, water, and fuel, into the camp in the months leading up to the attack. This blockade forced many families to resort to feeding their children animal feed, such as peanut shells, to survive.
Despite the severity of the situation in Sudan, the international community’s attention remains disproportionately focused on other global crises, such as the one in the Gaza Strip. The OHCHR continues to call for increased international awareness and intervention to address the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Sudan.