Sudan Conflict: Deadly Attacks Leave Hundreds Feared Dead
More than 100 individuals, among them 20 children, are feared dead in Sudan following a series of violent attacks carried out by paramilitary forces on El-Fasher, a besieged city in Darfur. The United Nations revealed on Saturday that these coordinated ground and aerial assaults occurred on Friday, targeting not just El-Fasher but also two nearby camps, Zamzam and Abu Shouk, which are grappling with severe famine. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have intensified their efforts in this conflict, which has been ongoing since April 2023, particularly after the regular army regained control in Khartoum last month.
Reports from local resistance committees, which serve as volunteer aid groups within El-Fasher, initially estimated that 57 people were killed during the attacks, with 32 fatalities in El-Fasher and 25 in Zamzam. However, the Sudanese army later stated that the death toll in El-Fasher alone had risen to 74, with an additional 17 individuals injured. Activists have expressed concerns over the lack of communication due to internet outages, leading to uncertainty about the true extent of the damage in Zamzam.
Humanitarian Impact of the Attacks
The Sudanese Organization for the Protection of Civilians reported that among the deceased were nine humanitarian workers who were providing services at a hospital in Zamzam operated by an international NGO. This tragic loss has drawn criticism from the UN’s Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami. She condemned the deaths, emphasizing that these individuals were killed while trying to offer essential health services in one of the few remaining operational medical facilities in the camp. Nkweta-Salami described this escalation as another brutal attack against displaced persons and aid workers, urging an immediate ceasefire.
In response to the situation, the RSF rejected claims made by activists surrounding a video that purportedly depicted civilians killed in Zamzam, labeling it as a fabricated piece aimed at discrediting their forces. This denial highlights the ongoing tension and distrust between the different parties involved in the conflict.
Continued Violence and Famine Risk
Further aggravating the situation, a local advocacy group reported that attacks on Zamzam resumed on Saturday morning, leading to clashes and heavy gunfire that lasted for hours. Notably, Zamzam was identified last year as the first area in Sudan to see a UN-backed assessment declare a famine. The looming threat of famine has also spread to adjacent camps, Abu Shouk and Al Salam, and it is anticipated that El-Fasher could face similar conditions by May.
The conflict has resulted in a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, claiming tens of thousands of lives and displacing over 12 million individuals since its onset. Both factions involved in this struggle face accusations of committing war crimes and breaches of international humanitarian law, further compounding the complex humanitarian landscape in the region.
