Under Darfur’s scorching sun, Najlaa Ahmed sat among displaced mothers and children, recalling how Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fighters stormed Zamzam displacement camp. They looted homes, set buildings ablaze, and fired shells from above while drones buzzed overhead. She lost contact with her entire family. “I don’t know where my mother, father, siblings, or grandmother are. I came here with strangers,” Najlaa said. She is one of six survivors who described the RSF raid on Zamzam camp to Reuters.
This attack marks two years of RSF conflict with Sudan’s army. The United Nations confirmed that the raid killed at least 300 people and forced over 400,000 to flee.
The RSF claims the camp served as a military base for army loyalists. However, aid groups insist the raid targeted unarmed civilians already suffering from famine.
Najlaa eventually reached Tawila, a town 60 kilometers from Zamzam. Rebel forces control Tawila and remain neutral in the conflict. She said this was the third time she had fled RSF attacks within months. During the journey, she saw seven people die of hunger or injuries.
Over 280,000 people have taken refuge in Tawila, according to a displaced persons group. Many sleep without shelter. Medical charity MSF treated 154 injured individuals, mostly with gunshot wounds. The youngest was just seven months old.
Eyewitnesses shared more disturbing stories. One man in al-Fashir, the North Darfur capital, discovered 24 bodies at a religious school. Another elder said RSF soldiers shot 14 civilians in a mosque. “People run to mosques for safety. But they searched every one and killed those hiding inside,” he said.
Reuters verified videos that show soldiers yelling at detainees outside a mosque and another where RSF fighters shoot an unarmed man. A third video shows soldiers celebrating near dead bodies. The RSF dismissed the footage as fake.
Researchers at Yale University confirmed over 1.7 square kilometers of Zamzam, including its main market, had been destroyed by fire. Satellite images showed continued burning days after the attack. Checkpoints now surround the area, and witnesses report being blocked from leaving.
The RSF raid on Zamzam camp is part of their broader strategy to control Darfur. Capturing al-Fashir would allow them to challenge Sudan’s military government and establish a rival administration.
This conflict began in April 2023 due to failed plans to merge RSF forces with the national army. Both sides face accusations of war crimes. The RSF grew from the Janjaweed militias responsible for atrocities in early 2000s Darfur.
Ahmed Mohamed, who just arrived in Tawila, said RSF soldiers robbed him along the road. Now, he sleeps on bare ground without any supplies. “We need everything to survive,” he said.
As famine spreads and the death toll rises, urgent global attention is needed. Without action, the suffering in Darfur will only deepen.
