Sudan: RSF Offensive in Darfur Displaces Over 400,000

Published APR 21 2025

Story

Above: People who fled the Zamzam camp after it fell under RSF control arrive at a makeshift encampment near the town of Tawila in Sudan's western Darfur region on April 13, 2025. Image credit: AFP/Contributor via Getty Images

The Facts

Following attacks earlier in April, renewed attacks by Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the El-Fasher area in North Darfur, including strikes on the Zamzam and Abu Shouk refugee camps, have forced an estimated 400,000 to 450,000 people to flee to safer areas.
UN News
Al Jazeera
The displaced populations are moving towards the town of Tawila, the terrain of Jebel Marra, and other remote locations, where they face severe shortages of water, food, and sanitation facilities.
ReliefWeb
Altaghyeer
Medical aid organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported treating over 170 people with gunshot and blast injuries in Tawila, while new arrivals reported being robbed of possessions and several women reported sexual assaults during their flight.
Al Jazeera
Mozambique
The UN Security Council has condemned RSF attacks on El-Fasher and nearby refugee camps, demanding an immediate halt to the fighting. The RSF, however, has denied targeting civilians and has claimed that scenes of killing in Zamzam were staged to discredit its forces.
allAfrica
X
BBC News
Humanitarian access to El-Fasher and surrounding areas remains "dangerously restricted" according to the UN humanitarian coordinator for Sudan, with aid organizations struggling to deliver essential supplies to the displaced populations amid ongoing security challenges and bureaucratic obstacles.
Eurasia Review
Europeansting
The protracted conflict has effectively divided Sudan, with the army holding the east and north, and the RSF controlling most of Darfur and parts of the south — creating what the UN calls one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
Al Jazeera
UN News

Sources Split

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The Spin

Pro-government narrative

As smoke still rises over the ashes of Zamzam, survivors speak of horror: homes torched, loved ones gunned down in mosques and schools, and children fleeing drone strikes. RSF soldiers didn't "liberate" anything — they looted, executed, and terrorized. Satellite images confirm the destruction and witnesses confirm the atrocities. This was no battle — it was a massacre.

Dabanga Radio TV Online

Mozambique

Opposition narrative

Zamzam and other areas were not attacked — they were liberated. The RSF freed civilians and aid workers from army strongholds where extremist militias used families as shields. False claims of massacres are part of a smear campaign. The RSF fights for real justice — civilian safety, equal rights, and a Sudan free from military tyranny.

Rapidsupportforce

Rapid Support Forces

Cynical narrative

As Sudan faces war, famine, and deadly disease outbreaks, lifelines are being cut. U.S. aid freezes and WHO budget slashes are hitting hardest where help is needed most. National responders on the ground are being left stranded, just as millions depend on them for food, medicine, and survival. This isn't just a funding issue — it's a death sentence for the vulnerable.

ENCA