Egypt Daily News – The United Nations reported on Monday, citing “reliable sources,” that more than 400 people have been killed in recent attacks carried out by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the Darfur region of western Sudan.
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani told AFP: “Our team in Sudan has confirmed the deaths of 148 people, but this number is far lower than the reality. Our verification efforts are still ongoing,” adding that “reliable sources have reported more than 400 fatalities.”
The RSF has intensified its attacks in recent weeks on refugee camps around the city of El Fasher, in an attempt to seize control of the last state capital in Darfur not under its control. Since the end of last week, the RSF has launched both ground and air assaults on El Fasher itself, as well as the nearby Zamzam and Abu Shouk displacement camps.
Fighting has focused on Zamzam camp, which, along with neighboring Abu Shouk, shelters about 700,000 people displaced by the war in Sudan. Aid organizations reported that the attack destroyed shelters, markets, and healthcare facilities.
Meanwhile, data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), a UN agency, showed that between 60,000 and 80,000 families have been displaced from Zamzam camp in North Darfur state following its capture by the RSF.
The RSF took control of the camp on Sunday after a four-day assault that, according to the government and humanitarian organizations, left hundreds dead and injured. Overall, the war that began two years ago in Sudan has forced 13 million people from their homes, including many women and children “who reported being subjected to rape,” according to a regional official from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), speaking to AFP on Monday.
The official, Abdourahmane Gnon-Konde, said in Dakar after visiting Sudan: “The conflict has displaced 13 million people — 8.6 million internally displaced and 3.8 million refugees.”
He added, “Women and children make up about 88 percent of those who fled, seeking safety above all.”
Sudan has been witnessing a bloody war between the army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, since mid-April 2023.
Since then, the conflict has displaced millions and devastated regions like Darfur, where the RSF is now fighting to maintain its stronghold amid the army’s advance in Khartoum.
