By Bunmi Yekini
Thousands of civilians, mostly women and children, have fled for their lives after a large-scale ground offensive by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Zamzam displacement camp in North Darfur on Friday, April 11. The attack marks another devastating chapter in the two-year-long war between Sudanese armed forces and the RSF.
The offensive has claimed the lives of nine aid workers from Relief International, the last international humanitarian organization still operating in the camp, according to reports confirmed by the group. MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières), which was forced to suspend its operations in Zamzam in February due to escalating violence, expressed deep concern over the unfolding crisis.
“After being starved, shelled and deprived of lifesaving assistance, people in Zamzam displacement camp, near El Fasher, are once again under attack,” said Marion Ramstein, MSF’s emergency field coordinator in North Darfur. “The RSF and allied armed groups launched a large-scale ground offensive on April 11. There are reports of people fleeing in all directions and many casualties, although we can’t verify how many at the moment.”
MSF described the humanitarian conditions as catastrophic. More than 10,000 displaced people have arrived in Tawila, 60km away from Zamzam, in just 48 hours following the attack.
“They arrived in an advanced state of dehydration, exhaustion and stress. They have nothing but the clothes they’re wearing, nothing to eat, nothing to drink,” Ramstein said. “Several people told us about family members left behind – lost during the escape, injured or killed.”
In response, MSF has set up an emergency health post at the entrance of Tawila to provide water, medical consultations, and referrals to the local hospital it supports. Aid workers also distributed essential supplies, such as blankets and mosquito nets, and began screening children for malnutrition.
Zamzam camp had already been declared in a state of famine by the IPC Famine Review Committee in August 2024, but the large-scale humanitarian response needed to stem the crisis never arrived.
MSF is calling on all warring parties and those with influence to immediately lift the siege and allow lifesaving humanitarian assistance to reach civilians.
“We’re horrified by what they have to endure,” Ramstein said. “And extremely worried about them and the hundreds of thousands of people already on the brink of survival in the area.”