As humanitarians around the world marked two years since the start of Sudan's relentless and widely neglected war, large-scale atrocities involving hundreds of civilian deaths and mass displacement have been reported from the Zamzam displacement camp near the town of El Fasher in Sudan's North Darfur state. This follows reports that armed groups affiliated with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) took control of the camp over the weekend.
Preliminary reports indicate that more than 400 civilians - including women, children and the elderly - and 12 aid workers have been killed in attacks by RSF-affiliated armed groups in Zamzam and Um Kadadah in North Darfur.
According to local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the casualties included the director of a children's center in Zamzam, who died after being injured by shelling. Eleven other aid workers were killed in an attack on a health facility run by the international NGO Relief International.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 400,000 people are estimated to have fled Zamzam seeking safety in El Fasher and the towns of Dar As Salam and Tawila, with additional reports of displaced people arriving in Jebel Marra in Central Darfur State.
Zamzam is Sudan's largest camp for internally displaced people (IDPs), hosting more than 500,000 women, children and men before the most recent attacks, and one of three displacement sites in the El Fasher region where famine conditions have been found.
The region has seen heavy fighting between the RSF and a coalition of armed groups allied to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). The RSF, who have been besieging and shelling the town of El Fasher for the past twelve months, have intensified their offensive in recent weeks, launching attacks against Zamzam camp.
Tuesday marked the second anniversary of the horrific war in Sudan, which has created not only the world's largest humanitarian crisis, but also the world's largest hunger crisis, with famine spreading, and the world's largest displacement crisis. Despite these dire superlatives, the war is largely ignored by political leaders, news outlets, and the public around the world.
On April 15, 2023, the Sudanese Armed Forces and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces launched the brutal war that has created an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe. More than 30 million people, including more than 15 million children, are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.
Half of Sudan's population - some 25 million people - are acutely hungry. Famine has been recorded in several parts of the country, including Zamzam camp, and is expected to spread. Some 13 million people have been forced to flee their homes since the war began in April, and more than 4 million of them have crossed into neighboring countries. The ongoing conflict has claimed an estimated 150,000 lives.
On Friday and Saturday, armed forces affiliated with the Rapid Support Forces reportedly launched artillery, drone and ground attacks on the Zamzam and Abu Shouk displacement camps, as well as the town of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, killing civilians and causing mass displacement.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported yesterday that Zamzam camp was inaccessible, and a communications blackout continued to prevent independent verification of casualties and the current situation.
Citing local sources, OCHA said armed groups have taken control of the camp and are restricting the movement of those remaining, especially young people.
On Wednesday, the UN humanitarian office said that aid agencies on the ground had provided deeply disturbing reports of atrocities following the reported takeover of Zamzam by armed groups.
“Civilians, including humanitarian workers, are reportedly being prevented from leaving, and survivors have spoken of killings, sexual violence and also of the burning of homes,” UN spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay told reporters in New York today.
“Access constraints, a critical fuel shortage and a volatile security environment are severely disrupting humanitarian operations in El Fasher. Health services and water treatment have been particularly impacted.”
In a statement marking the second anniversary of the outbreak of war, UN Secretary-General AntĂłnio Guterres said on Tuesday that the only way to ensure the protection of civilians is to end this senseless conflict.
“I am deeply concerned that weapons and fighters continue to flow into Sudan, allowing the conflict to persist and spread across the country. The external support and flow of weapons must end”, he added.
"Those with greatest influence on the parties must use it to better the lives of people in Sudan – not to perpetuate this disaster."
Meanwhile, the funding gap to meet Sudan's massive humanitarian needs is getting worse at a time when humanitarian needs are at their highest. As of April 15, the Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan, which calls for $4.16 billion to respond to the urgent needs of civilians, was only 10 percent funded.
InterAction, a leading alliance of international NGOs in the United States, said that as the conflict rages on, Sudanese communities are reeling from the impact of US foreign aid cuts.
“Nearly 80 percent of emergency food kitchens, staffed by volunteer aid workers, have been forced to close. UN organizations, international NGOs, national NGOs, and other civil society groups have had to suspend, downsize, or cut programs entirely,” InterAction said on Tuesday.
The NGO alliance said the international community “must step up”.
“The people of Sudan have endured this senseless violence for far too long. It is time for the international community to take decisive action that ends these atrocities and brings accountability,” InterAction said.
Tom Fletcher, the head of OCHA and Emergency Relief Coordinator, took to social media on Tuesday to mark two years of conflict, saying: “Some are retreating from saving lives. But I refuse to believe public has lost basic human solidarity. Sudan is test for those values.”
In another statement, also on Tuesday, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, described the conflict as a crisis of humanity, stressing that millions of lives hang in the balance.
“To all those engaged in the conflict: civilians are not a target. Humanitarian workers are not a threat. Aid is not a bargaining chip,” she added, calling for the protection of civilians and aid workers, and full respect for international humanitarian law.
“Above all, the violence must end. Only dialogue, inclusion, and a commitment to peace can lead Sudan towards recovery,” she said.
Aid agencies and human rights groups had high hopes that Tuesday's London Sudan Conference, a high-level meeting in London co-hosted by the European Union (EU) along with the United Kingdom, France, Germany and the African Union, would lead to meaningful progress in alleviating the suffering of the Sudanese people.
But the Sudan INGO Forum, a coordinating body for international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) working in Sudan, said on Wednesday that the conference had ended in “a deadlock, with key actors failing to agree on the content of a joint communiqué that would have established a contact group to facilitate ceasefire talks.”
Guterres' personal envoy to Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, attended the conference and told participants that he intends to intensify his interactions with stakeholders in Sudan and the wider region.
Lamamra added that urgent political engagement is needed to prevent the permanent fragmentation of Sudan, which would have grave consequences for the region and beyond. He reiterated the UN's commitment to continue to support all efforts to launch an inclusive and credible political process.
The key stakeholders gathered in London had a unique window of opportunity to act before the coming rainy season, which is expected to further cut off vulnerable people with already limited access to humanitarian assistance.
In the run-up to the conference, aid agencies had urged world leaders to take decisive action to improve access, protect civilians and mobilize adequate resources for the humanitarian response - but none of these calls were heeded.
To address the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Sudan, the European Commission and EU member states pledged a combined total of only $593 million (€522 million) in aid for Sudan through 2025 at the Conference. The UK also announced new funding for the Sudan crisis of $159 million (£120 million), but for both 2025 and 2026.
In total, governments pledged $1.08 billion during the Conference, including funds already committed, less than half of what was pledged at the same time last year at the Paris Conference on Sudan.
“As politicians debate – and fail – to agree on a common plan of action to address the world’s largest humanitarian disaster, the people of Sudan continue to be killed, starved, and persecuted daily,” the Sudan INGO Forum said.
“The London Conference’s lack of concrete outcomes is both immoral and irresponsible, guaranteeing that countless additional lives will be lost. Enough – the international community must immediately break the political bottlenecks hindering effective diplomacy and obstructing aid.”
International rights group Amnesty International called Tuesday's anniversary "a day of shame."
“Shame on the perpetrators on both sides of this terrible conflict, who have inflicted unimaginable suffering on civilians. Shame on the world for turning away while Sudan burns. Shame on the countries that continue to add fuel to the fire,” Erika Guevara Rosas, Amnesty International's senior director for research, advocacy, policy and campaigns, said in a statement on Tuesday.
“The world must stop ignoring Sudan,” she added.