The UN Human Rights Office has released a report accusing the Sudanese paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of massacring over 1,000 civilians. The tragedy occurred in April 2024 during a three-day assault on Zamzam camp – the largest facility for displaced persons in North Darfur province. This is reported by Associated Press, writes UNN.
Details
According to the UN, RSF militants carried out mass executions during house searches, in markets, schools, and hospitals. The report details the systematic use of sexual violence, including gang rape and sexual slavery. Before the assault, the camp, which housed over 500,000 people, had been under blockade for months: militants deliberately cut off food supplies, leading to mass starvation.
International community's reaction
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called the events in Zamzam "a persistent pattern of serious violations of international humanitarian law" and called for immediate punishment of those responsible.
He warned that similar acts of violence are now being repeated in El Fasher, which came under RSF control in late October.
The findings contained in this report are another stark reminder of the need for immediate action to end cycles of atrocities and violence, and to ensure accountability and redress for victims
Against the backdrop of the report's release, Sudan's top general, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, intensified diplomatic meetings in Cairo and Riyadh. International mediators, including the US and Saudi Arabia, are increasing pressure on the parties to the conflict to end the war, which since April 2023 has already claimed at least 40,000 lives and caused the world's worst humanitarian crisis.