Thousands of displaced Sudanese continue to flood into Tawila, a town in North Darfur, following a deadly paramilitary attack on the Zamzam displacement camp last week that reportedly killed hundreds, including children and humanitarian workers.
The assault, carried out by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has triggered a new wave of mass displacement in a region already gripped by a brutal civil conflict that began more than a year ago. Humanitarian groups, including Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières, MSF), are now sounding the alarm over an escalating humanitarian catastrophe.
“An Urgent Appeal to Stop the Atrocities”
MSF, one of the few medical aid agencies still operating in the region, confirmed on Friday that the RSF’s offensive on Zamzam forced thousands to flee to already vulnerable areas, including Tawila, where the organization is currently running emergency operations.
“We are making an urgent appeal to put an end to the siege and the atrocities,” MSF said in a public statement. “We must allow those who wish to flee to do so safely and deliver humanitarian aid, including by airdropping food and medicines to El Fasher if necessary.”
The group revealed that at least 1,600 displaced people have required emergency treatment since arriving in Tawila, with most cases linked to severe dehydration, trauma, and the lack of clean water and basic supplies.
MSF said it had suspended its operations in Zamzam camp in February, citing growing insecurity and an ongoing RSF blockade that made it impossible to operate safely.
A Devastating Human Toll
The United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that between 60,000 to 80,000 families were displaced from Zamzam camp within just the first 48 hours of the RSF assault. Most of the newly displaced remain trapped in and around El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, which has been besieged by RSF fighters for over a year despite remaining under military control.
Witnesses and survivors have described harrowing scenes of chaos and death during the Zamzam assault. Many were forced to flee on foot, carrying children and what few belongings they could salvage, while others report losing family members in the confusion.
“My cousin and her two children were killed as they tried to run,” said Mariam Abakar, a displaced mother who reached Tawila on Wednesday. “We had no food, no water, and people were dying around us. I don’t know how we survived.”
The UN has yet to release an official death toll from the Zamzam attack, but initial reports suggest the number of fatalities could be in the hundreds. Aid workers are among the dead, highlighting the increasingly dangerous conditions for humanitarian operations in Sudan.
A Conflict with No End in Sight
Sudan’s ongoing civil war erupted on April 15, 2023, after months of escalating tensions between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, commanded by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly known as Hemedti.
What began as a power struggle between the country’s top two generals has devolved into a nationwide catastrophe, with entire communities wiped out, cities reduced to rubble, and millions of civilians displaced.
According to the United Nations, more than 24,000 people have been confirmed killed in the conflict to date, though rights activists say the true toll is likely much higher, particularly in isolated regions like Darfur where access is severely limited.
The RSF’s recent actions in Zamzam came shortly after the SAF claimed a major victory by retaking control of Khartoum, Sudan’s capital. Analysts believe the assault on Zamzam may have been a retaliatory move or part of a broader RSF strategy to consolidate its grip on Darfur.
El Fasher Under Siege
El Fasher, once a hub for international aid and regional governance, has now become the epicenter of suffering in North Darfur. The city has been surrounded by RSF fighters for over a year, and the siege has cut off residents and internally displaced persons (IDPs) from vital supplies.
With tens of thousands more fleeing to the city from nearby areas like Zamzam, the humanitarian situation is spiraling into catastrophe. Local hospitals are overwhelmed, food prices have skyrocketed, and water supplies are dangerously low.
“There is no electricity, no medicine, and no safety,” said Adam Musa, a local community organizer in El Fasher. “We are calling on the international community not to forget us. People are dying silently every day.”
A Plea for International Response
Humanitarian agencies are urging world leaders and international organizations to ramp up pressure on the warring parties and take decisive action to protect civilians.
“There is a growing sense of abandonment among the Sudanese people,” said a spokesperson for the Norwegian Refugee Council. “Without immediate international intervention—diplomatic, humanitarian, and logistical—the crisis will reach unthinkable levels.”
Efforts to mediate a ceasefire have stalled in recent months, and regional actors remain divided on how to resolve the crisis. Meanwhile, the RSF and SAF continue to trade accusations over war crimes, civilian massacres, and the targeting of aid workers.
As the conflict enters its second year, the latest events in Zamzam and Tawila serve as a grim reminder of the war’s human cost—and the desperate need for lasting peace.
“The suffering in Darfur must not be ignored,” MSF concluded in its statement. “Every hour we delay is another life lost.”
