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Zamzam camp

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Zamzam camp
معسكر زمزم للنازحين
former IDP camp
Zamzam IDP camp in 2006
Zamzam IDP camp in 2006
Zamzam camp is located in Sudan
Zamzam camp
Location in Sudan
Coordinates: 13°29′18.68″N 25°18′38.4″E / 13.4885222°N 25.310667°E / 13.4885222; 25.310667
CountryBERJAYA Sudan
StateBERJAYA North Darfur
Founded2004
StatusFormer IDP camp, converted into a military base in 2025
ControlBERJAYA Rapid Support Forces
Population
 (2025, before RSF takeover)
 • Total
500,000[1]
Time zoneUTC+2 (Central Africa Time)

The Zamzam camp (Arabic: معسكر زمزم للنازحين) was one of the largest internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in Sudan, located 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) south of El Fasher, North Darfur. It was established in 2004 to accommodate the massive influx of people displaced by the war in Darfur. Since the outbreak of the Sudanese civil war in 2023, conditions in the camp had deteriorated severely, with a catastrophic malnutrition crisis,[2] famine-like situations and high child mortality. Experts described the crisis as man-made and preventable.[3][4] By 2024, the camp housed approximately 500,000 displaced individuals.[5]

Since April 2024, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) repeatedly attacked Zamzam and Abu Shouk camps,[6][7] leading to a massacre. On 13 April 2025, the RSF seized control of the camp, forcing its 400,000 residents to flee again.[8] Many fled towards Tawila, travelling for many hours or days with little or no water and food, arriving there severely dehydrated, malnourished and traumatised. Later reports documented sexual and gender-based violence during the flight.[9] The RSF converted the camp into a military base.[10]

Foundation and early years

[edit]

The Zamzam refugee camp was established in 2004, situated approximately 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the city of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, to accommodate the influx of internally displaced persons (IDPs) fleeing violence and persecution during the Darfur conflict, which erupted in 2003.[11] The conflict involved various armed groups, including the Sudanese government and Janjaweed militias, leading to widespread atrocities against civilians, including ethnic cleansing and mass killings. The United Nations estimates that over 2.5 million people have been displaced due to the conflict, with Zamzam being one of the significant camps providing refuge to these vulnerable populations.[12][13] The camp has grown significantly over the years, with estimates suggesting that it houses tens of thousands of residents, primarily from the Fur, Zaghawa, and Masalit ethnic groups.[14][11]

Zamzam camp has been subjected to numerous raids after its establishment. On January 14 2015, RSF backed by local militiamen stormed the Zamzam camp looting it in the process. During the raid 3 people were killed and around 15,000 heads of livestock stolen.[15]

Humanitarian organisations, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and various non-governmental organizations (NGOs), provide essential services. The COVID-19 pandemic has further complicated the situation, as the camp's overcrowded conditions make it difficult to implement effective health measures, increasing the risk of outbreaks.[16] The Zamzam camp has a high rates of malnutrition, communicable diseases, and maternal and child mortality among the camp's population compared to the general Sudanese population.[17][18] Moreover, many individuals experience trauma, anxiety, and depression, which are often exacerbated as mental health services are scarce, and the stigma surrounding mental health issues further complicates access to care.[18][19]

In Zamzam camp, many families depend on external assistance as employment opportunities are limited, and the camp's economy is largely informal, characterized by small-scale trade and subsistence agriculture.[20][21] Initiatives aimed at improving education, vocational training, and livelihood opportunities are being implemented, albeit on a limited scale.[22][23]

By 2025, the Zamzam camp consisted of multiple neighborhoods and areas, including the Labado and Ahmadai neighborhoods, Ammar Jadid and Saloma Square. Important structures included the Relief International clinic, Médecins Sans Frontières hospital and the central market.[24]

Sudanese civil war (2023–present)

[edit]

The Sudanese conflict severely impacted Zamzam camp, pushing it into famine conditions.[3][25][26] The conflict, primarily between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), caused significant displacement, and the camp's population grew to abound 500,000 people, many of them women and children.[5][3]

Conditions in Zamzam were dire, with high rates of malnutrition and mortality, particularly among children. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has reported alarming levels of acute malnutrition and a high number of child deaths, with at least one child dying every two hours.[27][28] The camp's residents faced severe shortages of food, clean water, and medical supplies.[29][2] Restrictions and blockades hindered the delivery of essential aid, exacerbating the crisis.[3][25] In August 2024, famine conditions were present in parts of North Darfur, including Zamzam camp.[30] That same month, the SAF also bombed the camp, killing children.[31] Counsellors in Zamzam camp reported an increasing number of victims seeking support for sexual violence, most of them teenage girls.[32]

Attacks, massacre and RSF takeover

[edit]

From early January 2025, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) reportedly blockaded Zamzam camp, controlling exit and supply routes and preventing food, medical supplies and fuel from entering. The blockade caused severe shortages of food and other essential goods, and people trying to bring in supplies at night were repeatedly attacked and killed. RSF restrictions and security threats forced several major humanitarian organisations to suspend operations in Zamzam camp in February 2025,[33] amongst them MSF[34] and World Food Programme,[35] worsening an already severe humanitarian situation[33]

In April 2024, the (RSF) repeatedly attacked Zamzam and Abu Shouk camps.[6][7] The attacks culminated in a massacre, when a violent RSF offensive against Zamzam from 11 to 13 April 2025 killed at least 1,013 civilians[36] and injured hundreds more.[37][38] Reports described RSF fighters firing on civilians and committing killings, rape, kidnappings and arson during the assault.[38][39] On 13 April 2025, the RSF seized control of the camp.[8][40][41] According to the RSF the takeover of the camp was meant "to secure civilians and humanitarian medical workers" but the UN refuted this by stating that RSF had killed 9 aid workers during the takeover.[42] Later reports documented widespread killings, rape, sexual violence and torture during the takeover, describing a pattern of serious violations of international humanitarian law during the takeover.[41][43][9] A gang rape of 39 people was documented. There were also reported abductions during the attack on Zamzam and as people fled.[9] The RSF deliberately set fires that destroyed large parts of the area.[44] According to the UN Human Rights Office over 1,000 civilians were killed during the Zamzam camp takeover and that at least 319 people had been executed while escaping the camp.[45]

After the takeover, about 400,000 people were estimated to have fled Zamzam camp between 13 and 14 April.[8][40][9] Around 70 percent of the camps inhabitants went towards Tawila, 60 km from Zamzam,[46][38] while others sought safety in other IDP camps or in neighbouring countries. Displaced people described travelling for many hours or days with little or no food and water, often with children, elderly relatives, or injured family members. Some older people with limited mobility were left behind.[9][38]

Survivors reported seeing bodies along the routes and said that some people, including children, died from injuries, dehydration or lack of food while fleeing. Médecins Sans Frontières said that displaced people arriving in Tawila were severely dehydrated, malnourished and traumatised. Medical care during the journeys was extremely limited, and a nurse described people bleeding to death or dying before they reached treatment. Reports indicated that sexual and gender-based violence was common during the flight from Zamzam to Tawila.[9]

On 29 April 2025, an RSF-allied militia abducted 40 aid workers and about 50 civilians who were evacuating the camp.[47] The RSF converted the camp into a military base.[10] Reportedly, not all residents were able to leave Zamzam. The RSF was accused of using civilians in the camp as human shields to deter a possible SAF counterattack.[38]

Testimonies and verified video footage indicated that, within two weeks of taking Zamzam camp, the RSF moved the remaining inhabitants, including older people, people with disabilities and people with chronic health conditions, to other locations in Darfur. Reports also said that after the camp had been emptied, the RSF reopened previously blocked roads, including trade routes to Zamzam.[33]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Sudan: Humanitarian Access Snapshot: Al Fasher and Zamzam (As of 8 April 2025)". unocha.org. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  2. 1 2 "Sudan: famine in Zamzam refugee camp, Unicef and WFP alert for 755 thousand people". Agenzianova. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Sudan war: Zamzam camp near el-Fasher pushed into famine - experts". BBC News. 2024-08-01. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  4. ↑ "Sudan: Famine in Zamzam camp is 'man-made and 100% preventable', experts say". Sky News. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  5. 1 2 "Staff accounts: Siege and bombardment of Sudan's El Fasher pushes children, adults to the limits of survival". NRC. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  6. 1 2 "Aerial, artillery strikes claim 18 lives in El Fasher and Kutum of North Darfur". Sudan Tribune. 19 June 2024. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  7. 1 2 "RSF continued shelling in El-Fasher kills civilians, targets another hospital". Sudan Tribune. 25 June 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  8. 1 2 3 "Up to 400,000 displaced from Darfur camp after Sudan RSF takeover, UN agency says". Reuters. 2025-04-16.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Sudan: "A Refuge Destroyed": RSF Violations in Darfur's Zamzam Camp for Internally Displaced Persons". Amnesty International. 2025-12-02. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
  10. 1 2 "RSF fighters turn Darfur camp into barracks, displacing thousands". Radio Dabanga. 25 May 2025.
  11. 1 2 Enumah, Zachary Obinna; Rafiq, Mohamed Yunus; Rhee, Daniel; Manyama, Frank; Ngude, Hilary; Stevens, Kent; Juma, Omar; Sakran, Joseph V. (2022-09-01). "Prevalence of pediatric surgical problems among east African refugees: estimates from a cross-sectional survey using random cluster sampling". BMC Pediatrics. 22 (1): 518. doi:10.1186/s12887-022-03576-9. ISSN 1471-2431. PMC 9434863. PMID 36050745.
  12. ↑ Kamal, Abu-Hena Mostofa; Huda, Dr Md. Nazmul; Dell, Dr Colleen Anne; Hossain, Dr Syeda Zakia; Ahmed, Shuheli Shaila (2020-08-24). "Translational Strategies to Control and Prevent Spread of COVID-19 in the Rohiynga Refugee Camps in Bangladesh". Global Biosecurity. 1 (4). doi:10.31646/gbio.77. hdl:1959.4/unsworks_85574. ISSN 2652-0036.
  13. ↑ Amsalu, Ribka; Costello, Jean; Hasna, Zainul; Handzel, Endang (April 2022). "Estimating stillbirth and neonatal mortality rate among Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, September 2017 to December 2018: a prospective surveillance". BMJ Global Health. 7 (4) e008110. doi:10.1136/bmjgh-2021-008110. ISSN 2059-7908. PMC 9024274. PMID 35443939.
  14. ↑ Owen, Michael; Kruczkiewicz, Andrew; Van Den Hoek, Jamon (2023-05-09). "Indexing climatic and environmental exposure of refugee camps with a case study in East Africa". Scientific Reports. 13 (1): 7533. doi:10.1038/s41598-023-31140-7. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 10170149. PMID 37160963.
  15. ↑ "North Darfur: Massive attack on villages south of El Fasher, Zamzam camp raided". Dabanga Radio TV Online. 14 January 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  16. ↑ Abushaikha, Ismail; Wu, Zhaohui; Khoury, Theodore A. (October 2021). "Towards a theory of informal supply networks: An exploratory case study of the Za'atari refugee camp". Journal of Operations Management. 67 (7): 853–881. doi:10.1002/joom.1151. ISSN 0272-6963.
  17. ↑ Ikanda, Fred Nyongesa (August 2018). "Animating 'refugeeness' through vulnerabilities: worthiness of long-term exile in resettlement claims among Somali refugees in Kenya". Africa. 88 (3): 579–596. doi:10.1017/S0001972018000232. ISSN 0001-9720.
  18. 1 2 de Carvalho, Cátia; Pinto, Marta (August 2018). "Refugee camp as an immediate solution: Response and its psychological meanings". Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology. 24 (3): 277–282. doi:10.1037/pac0000318. ISSN 1532-7949.
  19. ↑ Emberson, R. A.; Kirschbaum, D. B.; Stanley, T. (February 2021). "Landslide Hazard and Exposure Modelling in Data-Poor Regions: The Example of the Rohingya Refugee Camps in Bangladesh". Earth's Future. 9 (2). doi:10.1029/2020EF001666. hdl:11603/26086. ISSN 2328-4277.
  20. ↑ Polonsky, Jonathan A; Ronsse, Axelle; Ciglenecki, Iza; Rull, Monica; Porten, Klaudia (December 2013). "High levels of mortality, malnutrition, and measles, among recently-displaced Somali refugees in Dagahaley camp, Dadaab refugee camp complex, Kenya, 2011". Conflict and Health. 7 (1): 1. doi:10.1186/1752-1505-7-1. ISSN 1752-1505. PMC 3607918. PMID 23339463.
  21. ↑ Rapaport, Sarah; Enumah, Zachary Obinna; Ngude, Hilary; Rhee, Daniel S; Abbas, Mohamed; Lekey, Amber; Winch, Peter J; Sakran, Joseph V; Stevens, Kent A (June 2023). "Patterns, procedures, and indications for pediatric surgery in a Tanzanian Refugee Camp: a 20-year experience". World Journal of Pediatric Surgery. 6 (3) e000528. doi:10.1136/wjps-2022-000528. ISSN 2516-5410. PMC 10314687. PMID 37396496.
  22. ↑ Gabiam, Nell (March 2012). "When "Humanitarianism" Becomes "Development": The Politics of International Aid in Syria's Palestinian Refugee Camps". American Anthropologist. 114 (1): 95–107. doi:10.1111/j.1548-1433.2011.01399.x. ISSN 0002-7294. PMID 22662356.
  23. ↑ Altare, Chiara; Kahi, Vincent; Ngwa, Moise; Goldsmith, Amelia; Hering, Heiko; Burton, Ann; Spiegel, Paul (2019-10-22). "Infectious disease epidemics in refugee camps: a retrospective analysis of UNHCR data (2009-2017)". Journal of Global Health Reports. 3. doi:10.29392/joghr.3.e2019064. ISSN 2399-1623.
  24. ↑ Townsend, Mark (2025-08-07). "'They slaughtered us like animals': the inside story of how one of the biggest atrocities of the Sudan war unfolded in Zamzam". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  25. 1 2 "Famine confirmed in Sudan's North Darfur, confirming UN agencies worst fears". World Food Programme. 2024-08-01. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  26. ↑ "Refugees flood into Darfur camp after fighting". NBC News. 2009-03-03. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  27. ↑ "Sudan war: 500 days of a failing humanitarian response as medical needs soar". Doctors Without Borders. August 27, 2024. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  28. ↑ زكريا, محمد. "الجزيرة نت تنقل روايات عن المجاعة بمخيم زمزم في دارفور". الجزيرة نت (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  29. ↑ "SUDAN: Alarming situation in the Zamzam camp in North Darfur, MSF calls for urgent mobilisation of the international community". epicentre.msf.org. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  30. ↑ "FAMINE IN SUDAN: IPC Famine Review Committee Confirms Famine Conditions in parts of North Darfur". IPC. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  31. ↑ "Sudan army bombs Darfur camp days after famine declaration". Sudan Tribune. 2024-08-05. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  32. ↑ "Zamzam Camp residents report 'terror' over the outbreak of war in Sudan". Radio Dabanga. 28 June 2023. Archived from the original on 31 July 2023. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  33. 1 2 3 ""Three days of terror with no safe refuge": RSF offensive on Zamzam IDP camp, El Fasher (11-13 April 2025)" (PDF). Retrieved 2026-06-19.
  34. ↑ ""THERE IS SOMETHING I WANT TO TELL YOU…" SURVIVING THE SEXUAL VIOLENCE CRISIS IN DARFUR" (PDF). Retrieved 2026-06-15.
  35. ↑ "حياة مليون نازح بمخيم زمزم بدارفور على المحك". الجزيرة نت (in Arabic). Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  36. ↑ "Sudan: UN report details horrific patterns of violations committed during RSF offensive on El Fasher and Zamzam camp". Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. United Nations. 18 December 2025. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  37. ↑ "Hundreds feared killed in Sudan as RSF launches attack on famine-stricken camp". Reuters. 12 April 2025.
  38. 1 2 3 4 5 Ahmed, Kaamil (2025-04-18). "'They chanted as they killed people in their homes': survivors describe attack on Sudan's Zamzam camp". The Guardian. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
  39. ↑ Johnson, Dominic (2025-04-15). "Brandschatzung und Massenflucht in Sudan: „Zamzam wird jetzt systematisch zerstört"". taz.de (in German). Retrieved 2026-06-18.
  40. 1 2 "RSF seizes Zamzam camp, displacing thousands; hundreds reported dead". Sudan Tribune. 13 April 2025.
  41. 1 2 Humanitarian, UN (2026-04-13). "Darfur's survivors by UN Humanitarian". Exposure. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  42. ↑ "مخيم زمزم بالفاشر.. شهادات مروعة عن قتل وتشريد للمدنيين السودانيين". BBC News عربي (in Arabic). 14 April 2025. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  43. ↑ "Sudan: UN report details horrific patterns of violations committed during RSF takeover of Zamzam IDP camp". OHCHR. 2025-12-18. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
  44. ↑ "Sudan 'pathway to peace' talks in London bring together EU, UK and AU". BBC News. 2025-04-15. Retrieved 2025-04-15.
  45. ↑ "الأمم المتحدة: رصدنا انتهاكات في مخيم زمزم بدارفور ترقى لجرائم حرب". العربية (in Arabic). 18 December 2025. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  46. ↑ "«طويلة»... معسكر جديد لضحايا الحرب في السودان". aawsat.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  47. ↑ "Sudan camp spokesman says RSF allies arrested 40 aid workers in Darfur". Sudan Tribune. 27 April 2025.
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