FILE PHOTO: A displaced Sudanese woman rests inside a shelter at Zamzam camp, in North Darfur, Sudan, August 1, 2024. REUTERS/Mohamed Jamal Jebrel/File Photo
CAIRO (Reuters) - A devastating assault by Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Zamzam Camp for displaced people near al-Fasher has left hundreds dead or wounded, the foreign ministry and aid groups said on Saturday, in what some described as one of the worst violations since the war began.
The first wave of multiple attacks began on Thursday, according to a release from advocacy group the General Coordination of Displaced Persons and Refugees, with the assaults continuing through Friday and Saturday, destroying homes, markets, and healthcare facilities.
That left "hundreds dead and wounded, the majority of whom were also women and children", the organisation said. It condemned the attack as "a war crime and crime against humanity".
Similar assaults on Abu Shouk Camp earlier in the week killed 35 civilians, it added. "The humanitarian situation in al-Fasher is collapsing," its statement read, pointing to famine, a lack of medicine, and total insecurity.
UN Humanitarian Coordinator Clementine Nkweta-Salami said in a statement on Saturday that at least 100 civilians were killed in Abu Shouk and Zamzam camps, which host over 700,000 displaced people, many of whom are now trapped without safe refuge.
Relief International, the last organisation providing critical services at Zamzam Camp, reported that its clinic was overtaken and nine staff members, including doctors and drivers, were killed.
"This was a targeted attack on the most vulnerable – elderly people, women, and children," it said in a statement. "Our clinic, the last remaining access to healthcare in Zamzam, was also part of this attack."
The RSF dismissed allegations of atrocities in Zamzam Camp as fabricated, claiming a recently circulated video depicting civilian suffering was staged by the Sudanese army.
In a statement on Saturday, it accused its rivals of orchestrating a media campaign using actors and staged scenes within the camp to falsely incriminate them.
It denied responsibility for any attacks on civilians, reiterated its commitment to international humanitarian law, and criticised what it described as a propaganda effort aimed at tarnishing its reputation and distracting from the real crimes committed against the Sudanese people.
Reuters could not independently verify the number of casualties.
Humanitarian agencies and local leaders are calling for an immediate ceasefire and access for aid workers.
The war in Sudan erupted in April 2023, sparked by a power struggle between the army and the RSF, shattering hopes for a transition to civilian rule.
The conflict has since displaced millions and devastated regions like Darfur, where the RSF is now fighting to maintain its stronghold amid army advances in Khartoum.
(Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz, writing by Mohamed Ezz, editing by Jan Harvey)
