Geneva: More than 1,000 civilians were killed in Sudan’s Darfur region when a paramilitary group seized a large displacement camp earlier this year, according to a new report released by the United Nations.
The killings took place in April when the Rapid Support Forces took control of the Zamzam camp, located near El Fasher in North Darfur. The camp was home to hundreds of thousands of people who had already fled earlier rounds of violence in Sudan’s ongoing civil war.
The United Nations Human Rights Office said many of the victims were unarmed civilians, including women, children and elderly people. Investigators found that a significant number of those killed were executed at close range, while others died during house to house searches and attacks on shelters inside the camp.
Survivors told UN investigators that fighters opened fire indiscriminately and carried out widespread abuses after entering the camp. The report documents cases of killings, sexual violence, abductions and the destruction of homes, markets and health facilities. Many bodies were left in the open, while families were unable to bury their dead due to continuing violence.
The findings are based on interviews conducted with survivors who later fled across the border into Chad. UN officials said the scale and nature of the violence point to serious violations of international humanitarian law and could amount to war crimes.
The Rapid Support Forces have denied targeting civilians, but the UN said its conclusions were supported by consistent witness accounts and additional information gathered from the region.
The attack on the Zamzam camp is part of a wider pattern of violence in Darfur since fighting erupted between the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese armed forces in April 2023. The conflict has devastated large parts of the country and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
Millions of people have been displaced across Sudan, with acute shortages of food, clean water and medical care. Aid agencies warn that insecurity and access restrictions continue to hamper relief efforts, leaving civilians at extreme risk.
International pressure is growing for accountability. Several countries have called for independent investigations into atrocities in Darfur, while the United Nations has renewed appeals for an immediate ceasefire and full humanitarian access to affected areas.
As the fighting continues, the UN warned that civilians in Darfur remain in grave danger and urged the international community to act quickly to prevent further loss of life.