The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have seized and militarized Zamzam displacement camp in North Darfur, once a refuge for over 300,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs), converting it into a fortified military base amid Sudan’s worsening civil war. Eyewitnesses and humanitarian groups report that RSF fighters have replaced civilian shelters with bunkers and trenches, erected checkpoints and fortified positions and blocked humanitarian access, worsening famine conditions already declared in the region.
The camp, formerly managed with support from the UN and NGOs, had been struggling with severe food insecurity and water shortages prior to the takeover. Now, trapped civilians face a deadly choice: flee again or remain in what aid workers describe as “an active war zone.” International human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have condemned the RSF’s occupation of the camp, calling it a violation of international humanitarian law that may constitute a war crime.
“Turning civilian sanctuaries into military assets is unconscionable and illegal under the Geneva Conventions,” said a spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which has demanded unrestricted access and protection of displaced populations. The development reflects the ongoing collapse of civilian infrastructure in Sudan’s 13-month conflict between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). The war has displaced more than 12 million people, driven famine and disease, and led to tens of thousands of deaths, particularly in Darfur, Khartoum, and Kordofan regions.
The United Nations Security Council is under renewed pressure to act, as the conflict continues with impunity and minimal international intervention.
