The United Nations human rights office, known as OHCHR, recently released a report detailing the horrific events that took place during a three-day offensive by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the Zamzam camp for displaced persons in Sudan. The report, issued by UN rights chief Volker Türk, revealed that more than 1,000 civilians were killed in the Zamzam offensive alone, with 319 facing summary execution in various locations around the camp.
The Zamzam camp, which was home to approximately 500,000 people who had been uprooted by the ongoing war in Sudan, was the target of the RSF paramilitary attack in April. The attack, which was supported by allied Arab militia, involved heavy artillery shelling and ground incursions that resulted in a significant number of civilian deaths and displacement. Prior to the offensive on Zamzam camp, there had been relentless attacks on El Fasher and surrounding camps since May 2024, prompting High Commissioner Türk to issue a warning for residents of Abu Shouk and Zamzam camps in September 2024.
The OHCHR report highlighted the brutal sexual violence that was inflicted on many residents of the camp, particularly women and girls from the Zaghawa ethnic tribe. At least 104 people, including 75 women, 26 girls, and three boys, were subjected to horrific acts of sexual violence, including rape, gang rape, and sexual slavery. Türk emphasized that sexual violence was deliberately used as a tool to instill fear and terror within the community.
The report also detailed grim testimonies from survivors of the offensive, including accounts of the summary execution of displaced people by RSF fighters. Witnesses described how elderly men at a mosque and individuals at a religious school were targeted and killed in cold blood. One survivor recounted how RSF fighters shot randomly through a window, killing eight men who were hiding in the room with him. Another woman who returned to the camp in search of her missing son described the haunting scene of scattered dead bodies on the roads, with only animals roaming around.
The findings of the report were based on UN human rights monitoring, which included a field mission to eastern Chad in July of the same year. Interviews were conducted with 155 victims and witnesses, the majority of whom were women, girls, and boys who had fled Zamzam camp during and after the RSF paramilitary offensive.
Volker Türk called for an impartial, thorough, and comprehensive investigation into the events that transpired at Zamzam camp, emphasizing the need for accountability and justice for the victims. He condemned the deliberate targeting of civilians and the use of sexual violence as weapons of war, urging the international community to take action to prevent such atrocities from occurring in the future.
The report serves as a stark reminder of the brutal realities faced by civilians caught in the crossfire of armed conflicts and the urgent need for greater protection of human rights in conflict zones. The UN human rights office continues to monitor the situation in Sudan and other conflict-affected regions, working to document violations and hold perpetrators accountable for their actions.
