Death, displacement haunt civilians in Sudan's El-Fasher amid RSF siege

A humanitarian crisis is unfolding in El-Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur province in western Sudan, amid a tight blockade imposed by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on refugee camps in the city.

Most of the residents are struggling against attacks, food shortage, widespread malnutrition, water scarcity, and lack of medical care.

The city is home to the Zamzam and Abu Shouk displacement camps, where more than one million displaced civilians reside.

Despite international warnings, the RSF militia has seized control of the Zamzam camp on Sunday after days of attacks in the area.

Local doctors said that more than 320 people were killed and injured while thousands fled by RSF attacks on the Zamzam Abu Shouk camps.

The Sudan Liberation Movement/Minni Minawi faction, an ally of the Sudanese army, also said that 450 civilians had been killed on the same day in RSF assaults on El-Fasher.

“El-Fasher area has been besieged for more than one year, cutting hundreds of thousands of people off from lifesaving humanitarian aid,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Sunday.

“Civilians who want to leave must be allowed to do so safely.”

Several countries have condemned the RSF attacks in El-Fasher, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, and the US, and called for the protection of civilians.

-Under siege

Darfur regional governor Minni Arko Minawi called on young Darfur is to act to break the RSF siege on the displacement camps in El-Fasher.

“To the brave youth of Darfur: I have long pleaded with the world and appealed to the UN and humanitarian organizations – but I will stop doing so after what has happened,” he said, referring to the RSF assault on Zamzam Camp.

“Now I appeal to you directly... It is time to act immediately to break the siege on El-Fasher and Umm Keddada.”

El-Fasher has seen deadly clashes between the Sudanese army and the RSF since last May, despite international warnings over the risks of fighting in the city, which serves as a hub for humanitarian operations in all five Darfur states.

In recent months, the army has been delivering humanitarian supplies by airdrop and has also airlifted weapons to its besieged forces in the city, which has been under siege for about a year.

On June 13, 2024, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution demanding the RSF lift its siege of El-Fasher.

The paramilitary group, however, continues its attacks in an attempt to take control of the city to complete its domination of all five Darfur states.

If that happens, it will be extremely difficult for the army to retake Darfur, and the RSF could use its territorial control as leverage in any future negotiations, according to observers.

The RSF control over North Darfur and El-Fasher would also open new pathways for its forces to move toward the River Nile and Northern States, especially after losing control over Khartoum, Gezira, and Sennar states.

-Thousands displaced

Since Friday, hundreds have been killed and injured, and thousands displaced from Zamzam and Abu Shouk camps into the already besieged city of El-Fasher, according to the army and grassroots relief committees.

Many of these individuals were already displaced into the camp during earlier fighting in various parts of Darfur.

On Sunday, the RSF claimed to have taken control of Zamzam Camp with its members posting videos on social media showing their presence inside the camp.

Since early December 2023, the RSF has been targeting Zamzam Camp with artillery shelling.

The RSF claims that its attacks are targeting armed groups allied with the army inside the camp, and accuses them of using displaced civilians as human shields.

Zamzam Camp, located about 12 kilometers southwest of El-Fasher, was the first site where UN agencies declared a famine in August 2023. The number of displaced people in the camp is estimated at 500,000, though some unofficial reports suggest the number may be closer to one million, following mass displacement since the outbreak of war between the army and RSF in April 2023.

Zamzam was established in 2004, following the Darfur conflict sparked by the Sudan Liberation Movement and the Justice and Equality Movement rebelling against former President Omar al-Bashir in 2003, accusing him of marginalizing the region.

In February 2024, the medical charity Doctors Without Borders suspended its operations in Zamzam Camp, and the World Food Program halted its food aid distribution there.

Meanwhile, Abu Shouk Camp has also been the target of RSF attacks in recent months. Located in the northern part of El-Fasher, the camp, which was established in 2014, hosts around one million displaced persons, according to unofficial estimates.

Under RSF artillery shelling, thousands of residents of Abu Shouk Camp have been displaced to the town of Tawila in North Darfur.

Since April 15, 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 and 15 million displaced, according to the UN and local authorities. Research from US scholars, however, estimates the death toll at around 130,000.

In recent weeks, the RSF has lost significant territory across Sudan to government forces.