On Wednesday, Amnesty International accused Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of committing “war crimes” at the Zamzam IDP camp in Al-Fashir, western Sudan, during an attack carried out in April.
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The London-based NGO reported that the RSF engaged in the deliberate killing of civilians, hostage-taking, looting, and the destruction of mosques, schools, and medical clinics during the large-scale assault on Zamzam, the largest camp for displaced persons in North Darfur. Amnesty called for investigations into these violations as war crimes under international law.
On April 13, the RSF claimed it had taken control of Zamzam, located 12 kilometers from Al-Fashir, following three days of continuous attacks that left hundreds dead and injured and triggered a massive displacement, drawing widespread international condemnation.
Amnesty’s report, titled “A Destroyed Haven,” documents violations from April 11 to 13, 2025, including the use of explosive weapons and indiscriminate gunfire in populated areas. The assault forced approximately 400,000 people to flee the camp over April 13–14.
The report situates the attack within the RSF’s broader military campaign begun in May 2024, aimed at seizing Al-Fashir. Amnesty Secretary-General Agnes Callamard stated: “The horrific, deliberate attack on starving civilians at Zamzam shows a shocking disregard for human life. Civilians were brutally assaulted, killed, and stripped of the means to survive and their livelihoods.” She added that the assault was part of a continuous campaign against villages and IDP camps.
Eyewitnesses recounted fleeing burning neighborhoods and hiding from heavy fighting. Amnesty also documented RSF fighters intentionally shooting civilians.
No immediate response was issued by the RSF regarding the report. Previous RSF actions in Al-Fashir, including the October 26 takeover, involved massacres of civilians, and on October 29, RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (“Hemeti”) acknowledged what he called “excesses” by his forces, claiming investigations were underway.
The humanitarian crisis in Sudan continues as RSF and the army fight over the unification of the military, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of around 13 million people. RSF currently controls most of Darfur’s five states, except parts of northern North Darfur, while the army holds most of the remaining 13 states, including the capital, Khartoum. Darfur covers roughly one-fifth of Sudan’s 1.8 million km², though the majority of Sudan’s 50 million citizens live under army control.
