A harrowing new report from the United Nations Human Rights Office details a massacre in Western Sudan, revealing that more than 1,000 civilians lost their lives when a paramilitary group seized a famine-stricken displacement camp in April.
The findings, released on Thursday, paint a grim picture of the assault on the Zamzam camp in Darfur. According to the report, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) not only blocked essential food and supplies from entering the camp for months prior to the attack but also targeted civilians directly during the takeover between April 11 and 13.
Summary Executions and War Crimes
The investigation indicates that approximately one-third of the victims—at least 319 people—were summarily executed. Survivors recounted widespread atrocities, including rape, torture, and abductions. Many were killed inside the camp, while others were gunned down as they attempted to flee.
Volker Türk, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, issued a stark statement alongside the 18-page document.
“Such deliberate killing of civilians or persons hors de combat may constitute the war crime of murder,” Türk stated.
The report draws on testimony from 155 survivors and witnesses interviewed in July 2025 after they managed to escape across the border into Chad. One chilling account described RSF fighters thrusting rifles through the window of a room where eight people were hiding and opening fire, killing everyone inside.
A Pattern of Violence
The Zamzam camp housed nearly half a million people already displaced by the country’s brutal civil war. The blockade imposed by the RSF prior to the attack had already pushed the population to the brink of famine.
This assault served as a precursor to a broader offensive. In late October, the RSF launched an attack on the city of Al-Fashir to the north. Similar accusations have emerged from that conflict, with reports of thousands being summarily executed or kidnapped. Currently, the whereabouts of most of Al-Fashir’s former residents remain unknown.
The RSF has yet to issue a specific response to these latest allegations. Historically, the group has denied targeting civilians and has pledged to hold its members accountable for any violations.
The violence in Sudan continues to escalate on multiple fronts. Earlier this week, the U.N. reported a separate incident in the Kordofan region, where drone strikes killed over 100 civilians, further underscoring the deteriorating security situation across the nation.
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