Darfur Survivors Vow to Tell Story of Zamzam Camp Killings
Survivors of an attack on Zamzam, a displacement camp near el-Fasher in North Darfur, have vowed to tell the story of those who were killed, according to Al Jazeera.
Sudan's current war began in 2023, when the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fought the Sudanese Armed Forces and its allies. Zamzam is part of a longer history. The camp was established in 2004, during a conflict in Darfur, the western region of Sudan, that began in 2003 and continued for nearly two decades. At its height the camp sheltered hundreds of thousands of people. Together with the Abu Shouk and al-Salam camps, it formed one of Darfur's largest concentrations of displaced people.
Famine, a condition of widespread starvation, was confirmed in Zamzam in August 2024. The RSF captured the camp in April 2025 after months of attacks.
On April 11, the RSF launched a three-day assault on Zamzam using cars, camels and horses. Straw homes and health facilities were burned during the attack.
The United Nations human rights office documented at least 1,013 civilians killed in the Zamzam attack, according to a UN report. Of those, 319 were summarily executed, meaning killed without trial, in homes, markets, schools, clinics and mosques. The office also documented rape, gang rape, sexual slavery and other sexual violence, particularly targeting the Zaghawa community.
Tens of thousands of people fled the attack. Many stayed in the el-Fasher area, while others went south to Tawila and Dar al-Salam. The United Nations has reported that more than 700,000 displaced people in Tawila faced severe shortages of healthcare and food.
The RSF later turned to el-Fasher itself. In August 2025 it launched an attack on the city and soon captured Abu Shouk camp. The UN human rights office said at least 40 displaced people were killed inside Abu Shouk and 19 others were injured. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that at least 500 residents fled the camp on the day it was attacked.
The RSF captured el-Fasher on October 26, 2025.
