By HAN News Desk
Amnesty International has called for an urgent, independent investigation into alleged war crimes committed by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), after the paramilitary group carried out a series of brutal attacks on the Zamzam displacement camp in North Darfur.
In a report released on Wednesday, the rights organisation said the large-scale assault on the camp between 11 and 13 April 2025 resulted in widespread killings, sexual violence, the burning of homes and extensive looting of civilian property. Amnesty said RSF fighters used explosives and indiscriminate gunfire in densely populated areas, leaving families trapped and defenceless.
Zamzam—one of the largest displacement camps in North Darfur—was overwhelmed by the assault, forcing nearly 400,000 people to flee within just two days, according to the report. The findings are based on interviews with 29 people, including survivors, eyewitnesses and relatives of those killed, and were supported by analysis of satellite images and verified videos.
Witnesses told Amnesty that RSF fighters summarily executed at least 47 civilians, some inside their homes, others as they attempted to escape. Several said people hiding in a mosque were also shot at close range.
Agnes Callamard, the secretary-general of Amnesty International, described the attack as “horrifying,” saying it illustrated the RSF’s “complete disregard for the lives of civilians already suffering from hunger and severe deprivation.” She said civilians were “relentlessly attacked, killed and robbed of the few possessions they depended on for survival,” and urged that those responsible be brought to justice.
The assault on Zamzam came at a time when RSF forces were tightening their siege on El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, which they now control entirely. The group has since expanded operations eastwards toward West Kordofan, worsening an already catastrophic humanitarian situation and increasing the number of people displaced inside Sudan.
Amnesty’s findings add to a growing body of evidence accusing the RSF of severe human rights violations since the conflict erupted in April 2023. Sudan’s national army has also been accused of committing numerous war crimes during the same period.
