Civil war & guerrilla warfare

Sudan: RSF Attacks Kill Over 200 in Darfur Camps

APR 14 2025·Updated APR 15 2025

Story

Above: People who fled the Zamzam camp for the internally displaced after it fell under RSF control, rest in a makeshift encampment in an open field near the town of Tawila in war-torn Sudan's western Darfur region on April 13, 2025. Image credit: Contributor/AFP via Getty Images

The Facts

Paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have killed over 200 civilians in a wave of attacks on displacement camps and around El Fasher, the last major city under army control in Darfur, Sudan, a nation ravaged by civil war since April 2023.
Guardian
Washingtontimes
The RSF launched ground and air attacks on Zamzam and Abu Shouk camps on April 10-11, killing over 20 children and nine Relief International medical personnel, among others, who were operating Zamzam's only remaining clinic.
France 24
Newsmax
Reuters
The attacks have forced around 2,400 people to flee the camps and El Fasher, while Zamzam and Abu Shouk camps, which shelter more than 700,000 displaced persons, remain under artillery shelling and assault by RSF armed vehicles.
Al Jazeera
Newsmax
BBC News
The conflict has created what has been described as the biggest humanitarian crisis ever recorded, with half of Sudan facing extreme hunger. Sudan's military retook the Republican Palace in Khartoum in March this year, after nearly two years under paramilitary control.
Al Jazeera
FOX News
The RSF still controls most of Darfur and some other areas, though El Fasher, the provincial capital of North Darfur province, is under the control of the military. The extent of the damage in Zamzam remains unclear due to internet shutdowns.
Newsmax
France 24
The army's recapture of Khartoum last month has effectively divided Sudan, with the army now controlling the north and east while the RSF dominates most of Darfur and parts of the south. Tens of thousands have died since the war began.
The Telegraph
Al Jazeera
Amnesty International

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

The Rapid Support Forces have devastated Sudan through widespread atrocities—burning bodies in containers, torturing civilians in makeshift detention centers, and preventing proper burial of the dead. Their systematic violence has created an "irrevocable anger" among Sudanese citizens, making reconciliation impossible and transforming the conflict into a "Dignity War" against an unforgivable destructive force.

Middle East Eye

Middle East Monitor

Narrative B

The Sudanese Armed Forces, far from innocent, have systematically undermined democracy while enabling violence against civilians. They've targeted activists, manipulated the economy, and aligned with militias that execute villagers indiscriminately. Despite condemning such atrocities as "individual transgressions," SAF leaders praise commanders responsible for attacks on communities perceived as rivals.

Responsible Statecraft

Al Jazeera