Geneva, 18 December 2025 (SUNA) - The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) issued a press release summarizing what it described as the violations and atrocities committed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia during its sweeping attack on the Zamzam IDP camps in April this year over a period of three days.
The statement noted that the report released today, Thursday, by the UN Office of Human Rights details widespread killings, sexual assaults, and other forms of sexual violence, torture, and abductions carried out during the militia's attack on the Zamzam IDP camp, where hundreds of civilians, including women and children, were killed.
The report states, "At least 1,013 civilians were killed during the militia attack between 11 and 13 April," describing this as a "consistent pattern of serious violations of international humanitarian law and grave breaches of international human rights law."
According to the report, among the victims, the militia summarily executed 319 individuals, either inside the camp or while they attempted to flee. Some were killed in their homes during house-to-house searches conducted by the militia, while others were killed in the main market, schools, health facilities, and mosques.
Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines
More than 400,000 camp residents were displaced again as a result of the attack.
The report cited a surviving community leader who recounted how two RSF fighters fired randomly through a small window of a room where he and ten other men were hiding, killing eight of them.
A woman who returned to the camp the day after the deadly attack searching for her missing 15-year-old son said, "The camp was completely empty, but I saw scattered bodies on the roads. Only chickens, donkeys, and goats were roaming around." She did not find her son that day.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said, "Deliberate killings of civilians or persons incapable of combat may constitute a war crime of murder," emphasizing the need for a fair, thorough, and effective investigation into the attack on Zamzam IDP camp and the prosecution of those responsible for serious violations of international law through fair proceedings.
The report details patterns of conflict-related sexual violence, noting that at least 104 survivors - including 75 women, 26 girls, and 3 boys, mostly from the Zaghawa community - were subjected to horrific sexual violence, including rape, gang rape, and sexual slavery, either during the attack or along escape routes.
The report states that "sexual violence appears to have been deliberately used to terrorize the community." In the months preceding the attack, the militia reportedly prevented the entry of food, water, fuel, and other essential supplies for civilian survival in the Zamzam IDP camp, and launched systematic attacks against anyone attempting to bring provisions, effectively severing the link between Zamzam and the town of Tawila as a warning against aid deliveries.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Many families survived by feeding their children animal feed such as ombaz (peanut oilcake).
High Commissioner Tor Wennesland said, "These horrific patterns of violations - committed with impunity - are consistent with what my office has repeatedly documented, including during the RSF's control of Al-Fashir in late October last year."
He added, "The findings of this report serve as a stark reminder of the urgent need to halt the cycle of atrocities and violence, and to ensure accountability and reparations for victims. The world cannot stand by and allow such brutality to take root as a reality in Sudan. All states, especially those with influence, must exert maximum effort to prevent atrocities."
The UN High Commissioner renewed his call for urgent action by all states to prevent crimes under international law, increase pressure to end violence in Darfur, Kordofan, and other areas, including measures to stop the supply, sale, or transfer of weapons that continue to fuel the war. He also urged continuous diplomatic efforts to halt hostilities and achieve a lasting solution.
