By Brian Kiprono - Reporter
Kenya, december 18 2025 - More than 1,000 civilians were killed in a single attack on a displaced persons’ camp in Sudan’s North Darfur region, the United Nations has confirmed, warning that the country’s worsening war and deepening hunger crisis are being met with dwindling international support.
In a report released on Thursday, the UN human rights office said paramilitary fighters from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out a three-day assault on Zamzam camp in April, killing at least 1,013 people. Nearly one-third of the victims, including elderly men, were summarily executed in their homes, markets, mosques and schools.
At the time of the attack, Zamzam camp was home to an estimated 500,000 people who had already fled earlier violence in Darfur. Survivors told UN investigators that heavy artillery shelling and ground incursions forced families to flee in terror, leaving behind bodies scattered along roads and inside buildings.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said the killings “may constitute the war crime of murder” and urged the international community not to turn away. “The world must not sit back and watch as such cruelty becomes entrenched,” he said.
The report also documents widespread sexual violence during the assault. At least 104 people — mainly women and girls from the Zaghawa ethnic group — were subjected to rape, gang rape and sexual slavery. According to the UN, sexual violence appeared to be deliberately used to spread fear and destroy community bonds.
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The Zamzam attack followed months of sustained assaults on El Fasher and nearby camps, culminating in the RSF’s takeover of the city in October. Access to the area remains extremely limited, but satellite imagery reviewed by independent researchers suggests efforts to conceal mass killings.
These atrocities are unfolding against a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation. Famine, first declared in Zamzam last year, has now spread to other regions, including El Fasher and parts of Kordofan. The UN estimates that more than 21 million people — nearly half of Sudan’s population — face acute hunger.
Yet aid agencies warn their response is being crippled by funding cuts. The World Food Programme has announced it will reduce rations in famine-hit areas from January, citing a severe shortage of resources.
The UN has called for an independent investigation into the Zamzam killings and accountability for those responsible, warning that without urgent action, both violence and hunger will continue to claim countless lives across Sudan.
