UN: Sudan's Zamzam displacement camp ‘nearly emptied’ after RSF takeover

The UN has warned that the Zamzam camp for displaced people in western Sudan is now “almost empty”, less than two weeks after being taken over by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), amid ongoing conflict with the Sudanese army.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement that hundreds of thousands of people had fled the camp due to famine, heading towards nearby areas, especially El-Fasher. This city has been besieged for months by the RSF and is considered the last major city in the Darfur region still under army control.

 “Zamzam IDP [internally displaced persons] camp, which housed at least 400,000 people prior to the exodus, has been nearly emptied,” the UN office said, adding that satellite images showed fires burning in the area, and reports suggest RSF fighters are preventing some people from leaving.

The statement also noted that “The displacement from Zamzam is now spreading to multiple locations… About 150,000 displaced people have arrived in Al Fasher locality and another 181,000 people moved to Tawila.”

Since 15 April 2023, the RSF has been battling the Sudanese army for control of the country, resulting in thousands of deaths and one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

More than 20,000 people have been killed so far, and 15 million others displaced, according to the UN and local authorities. Research from US scholars, however, estimates the death toll at around 130,000.

READ: WFP to reduce food support in Sudan due to funding shortages