Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have taken control of Zamzam camp, one of the largest sites for displaced civilians in North Darfur, following four days of intense fighting that aid groups say left hundreds dead or injured.
The paramilitary group confirmed the takeover on Sunday, claiming the camp was being used by what it described as “mercenary factions.” The camp, along with nearby Abu Shouk, hosts around 700,000 people who have already been uprooted by Sudan’s ongoing civil war.
The assault has sparked mass panic, forcing tens of thousands of civilians to flee on foot toward al-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur province, located just 15 kilometers away. Aid agencies report that shelters, markets, and medical facilities inside the camp have been destroyed. Many of the displaced are now sleeping in the open, without access to food, clean water, or medical care.
El-Sadiq Ali El-Nour, a spokesperson for the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), which has been defending the area alongside Sudan’s national army and other local militias, said the humanitarian situation in al-Fashir is worsening by the hour. He called on the Sudanese military to urgently deploy reinforcements.
“The leadership of the armed forces must act swiftly to save the lives of approximately 1.5 million people in al-Fashir,” the SLA said in a statement. “Darfur must not fight alone.”
Al-Fashir itself came under heavy shelling and ground attacks by RSF fighters on Sunday, according to the SLA. The Sudanese army maintains a large base in the city, housing several thousand troops.
The RSF denied deliberately targeting civilians, instead accusing its rivals of staging scenes to discredit the group in the media. It also claimed it had facilitated voluntary evacuations for families and called on humanitarian organisations to assist.
Sudan plunged into conflict in April 2023 after tensions exploded between the army and RSF, derailing a fragile transition to civilian rule. The war has displaced millions and has turned regions like Darfur into battlegrounds, where the RSF now faces growing resistance from army-aligned militias.
