Sudan: Hundreds feared dead in RSF Janjaweed militia attack on El Fasher N. Darfur & IDP camps

"THE Rapid Support Forces (RSF), at war with the regular army since April 2023, launched "coordinated ground and aerial assaults" on Friday on El-Fasher and the Zamzam and Abu Shouk displacement camps, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.

In recent weeks, the paramilitaries have stepped up their attacks on El-Fasher — the only state capital in Darfur still outside their control — after the army recaptured the national capital Khartoum last month."

Read more in report from FRANCE 24

By FRANCE 24 with AFP

Dated Saturday, 12 April 2025; 22:22 - here is a full copy:

Hundreds feared dead in Sudan as RSF launches attack on famine-hit camps

The United Nations reported on Saturday that more than 100 people, including 20 children, are feared dead after the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched attacks on the besieged city of El-Fasher and two nearby displacement camps in Darfur. 

This handout image courtesy of Maxar Technologies shows heavy damage at the entrance to the Zamzam camp near North Darfur's besieged capital El-Fasher on February 13, 2025.
© AFP via Maxar Technologies

More than 100 people, including 20 children, are now feared dead in Sudan following paramilitary attacks on the besieged Darfur city of El-Fasher and two nearby famine-hit camps, the United Nations said on Saturday.

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), at war with the regular army since April 2023, launched "coordinated ground and aerial assaults" on Friday on El-Fasher and the Zamzam and Abu Shouk displacement camps, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.

In recent weeks, the paramilitaries have stepped up their attacks on El-Fasher — the only state capital in Darfur still outside their control — after the army recaptured the national capital Khartoum last month.

Early reports from the local resistance committee, a volunteer aid group in El-Fasher, put Friday's death toll at 57, with 32 civilians killed in El-Fasher and 25 in Zamzam.

However, the army said Saturday that 74 civilians were killed and 17 wounded in El-Fasher alone.

Activists said Friday the full extent of the damage in Zamzam remains unclear because of internet shutdowns and communications disruptions.

The Sudanese Organisation for the Protection of Civilians said Saturday the dead included nine humanitarian workers operating a hospital in Zamzam, run by an international non-governmental organisation.

UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan Clementine Nkweta-Salami condemned their deaths.

"The colleagues from an international non-governmental organisation were killed while operating one of the very few remaining health posts still operational in the camp," she said in a statement.

"This represents yet another deadly and unacceptable escalation in a series of brutal attacks on displaced people and aid workers in Sudan since the onset of this conflict nearly two years ago.

"I strongly urge those committing such acts to immediately desist."

In a statement on Saturday, the RSF dismissed a video purportedly shared by activists showing civilians killed in Zamzam.

The paramilitary group condemned the footage as a fabricated production, labelling it a "desperate attempt to criminalise" its forces.

A local advocacy group, the Darfur General Coordination of Camps for the Displaced and Refugees, said the attack on Zamzam resumed on Saturday morning, with clashes and heavy gunfire heard for hours.

The camp was the first part of Sudan where a UN-backed assessment declared famine last year.

By December, famine had also spread to two nearby camps — Abu Shouk and Al Salam — and is expected to hit El-Fasher itself by May.

The war has killed tens of thousands of people and uprooted more than 12 million since it broke out in April 2023. Both sides in the conflict have been accused of war crimes and breaches of international humanitarian law.

View original: https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20250412-hundreds-feared-dead-in-sudan-as-rsf-launches-attack-on-famine-hit-camps-paramilitary-un

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Related reports

View original: 

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/abdallahhussain3_sudan-news-activity-7317237019854671872-gFS9

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View original: 

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/relief-international_relief-international-is-devastated-to-report-activity-7316838235903586304-txhY

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View original:

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/abdallahhussain3_sudan-news-activity-7317225284187922432-xI59

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View original: 

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/abdallahhussain3_sudan-news-activity-7316867294666620928-Y7AS

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DTM Sudan Flash Alert - Sunday, 13 April 2025

Um Kadadah (Um Kadadah town), North Darfur

On 10 April 2025, DTM field teams estimated that approximately 3,500 households were displaced from Um Kadadah town of Um Kadadah locality, North Darfur due to clashes between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and armed tribal groups. Field teams reported that households were displaced to other locations within Um Kadadah locality, North Darfur. View original with map here.

Al Fasher (Zamzam IDP camp), North Darfur

Between 11 and 12 April 2025, DTM field teams reported the displacement of approximately 3,190 households from Zamzam IDP Camp in Al Fasher locality, North Darfur due to heightened insecurity. Households were displaced to other locations within Al Fasher locality and to locations across Tawila locality in North Darfur. The situation remains tense and unpredictable. View original with map here.

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DTM Sudan Flash Alert - 14 April 2025

Al Fasher (Zamzam IDP camp), North Darfur

Between 13 and 14 April 2025, DTM received multiple reports of large-scale displacement from Zamzam IDP camp. Based on initial estimates, DTM field teams reported that between 60,000 and 80,000 households were displaced from Zamzam IDP camp due to heightened insecurity. The majority of households remain displaced within Al Fasher locality, while others were displaced to locations across Tawila and Dar As Salam localities, North Darfur. These figures represent preliminary estimates only. 

View original with map: https://mailchi.mp/iom/dtm-sudan-flash-alert-al-fasher-zamzam-idp-camp-north-darfur-update-077

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Infographic from OCHA - Thursday, 10 April 2025

Sudan: Humanitarian Access Snapshot: Al Fasher and Zamzam (As of 8 April 2025)

https://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-humanitarian-access-snapshot-al-fasher-and-zamzam-8-april-2025

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Special Report: Friday, 11 April 2025

Confirmation of Ground Assault on Zamzam IDP Camp 

https://files-profile.medicine.yale.edu/documents/1c711637-a7c0-4e06-a03b-df4139dbbe78

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Special Report: April 2025 by Prof. Dr. Volker Perthes, Dr. Wibke Hansen

Hunger in Sudan: A Human-Made Catastrophe

Looting, arson, blockades - the warring parties use hunger as a weapon and caused the food system to collapse. In the past two years, the greatest humanitarian crisis the world is experiencing at present developed in Sudan.

https://www.welthungerhilfe.org/global-food-journal/rubrics/crises-humanitarian-aid/hunger-in-sudan-a-man-made-catastrophe

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Sudan: SpaceX to shut off Starlink access for users outside availability areas by 30 April 2024

SPACEX to shut off Starlink access for users outside availability areas by 30 April 2024. Read full story here below followed by a related post at X by Will Carter, Sudan Country Director for the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).

Article from pcmag.com
By Michael Kan 
Dated April 16, 2024 - here is a full copy:

SpaceX to Shut Off Starlink Access for Users Outside Availability Areas

The decision is upsetting users based in Africa, where internet speeds are often slow. But SpaceX says it needs to crack down as it waits for regulatory approval in the affected countries.

SpaceX is preparing to shut down Starlink for customers using the satellite internet service in countries outside its official "availability" zones. 

On Tuesday, the company sent an email to users in Africa, where Starlink is still waiting to receive regulatory approval in several countries, including Zimbabwe and South Africa. 

"If you are operating your Starlink Kit in an area other than areas designated as 'Available' on the Starlink Availability Map, we would like to remind you that this is in violation of the Starlink Terms," SpaceX wrote in the email. 

SpaceX is preparing to shut down Starlink for customers using the satellite internet service in countries outside its official "availability" zones. 

On Tuesday, the company sent an email to users in Africa, where Starlink is still waiting to receive regulatory approval in several countries, including Zimbabwe and South Africa. 

"If you are operating your Starlink Kit in an area other than areas designated as 'Available' on the Starlink Availability Map, we would like to remind you that this is in violation of the Starlink Terms," SpaceX wrote in the email. 

“If you have been using a 'Mobile - Regional' plan for more than two months outside of the country in which you ordered Starlink, you must either see Support FAQs to change your account country or return to the country in which your service was ordered. Otherwise, your service will be restricted,” the message says. 

The email goes on to say SpaceX is working as quickly as possible to obtain regulatory approvals from local governments. Still, the decision is upsetting users in Africa, where internet speeds can often be painfully slow, depending on the location. “This is so frustrating,” wrote one Facebook user based in Sudan. 

On Reddit, another added: "This is the worst news ever. My family and friends are in Sudan and there is a total communication blackout. [The] only source of internet is Starlink and now they do this." Meanwhile, others wonder if subscribing to the Starlink Roam international plan will allow them to bypass the coming restriction.

SpaceX’s email also suggests it’ll impose the restrictions on all users who’ve been operating Starlink outside the company’s availability zone. This could include Iran, where activists have been smuggling in Starlink units to help local residents receive access to an unfiltered version of the internet. In response, the Iranian government has been urging international regulators to force SpaceX to crack down. 

SpaceX didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, making it unclear if the upcoming restriction will expand to other continents. But so far, it appears the company only sent Tuesday's email to users based in Africa.

View full story: https://uk.pcmag.com/networking/151883/spacex-to-shut-off-starlink-access-for-users-outside-availability-areas

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HERE is a copy of a post at X by Will Carter, Sudan Country Director for the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).

Dear Mr @elonmusk, 

@SpaceX’s service is a lifeline in warzones like #Sudan. Civilians all over can contact loved ones, emergency responders continue, and facts be told, all with the magic of your machinery. As we face famine, please reconsider. Best, W

https://twitter.com/WillCarter_NRC/status/1781394263541985682

END

Sudan: Khartoum is still in total blackout, desperate need for humanitarian aid, basic essentials, electricity

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: Here is a message I received from a reader in Khartoum, Sudan last Sunday (Mar 10). Sadly, in short it says, Khartoum is still in total blackout, some neighbourhoods have had no electricity and water for over ten months, there is a desperate need for humanitarian aid.

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"I apologise for the delayed response due to the ongoing circumstances here in Khartoum. I’m in the capital Khartoum itself, which comprises tri-city Khartoum, Omdurman, and Bahri, the situation is challenging. 

Specifically, in Khartoum where the presidential palace and political sites are located, there are significant issues with connectivity, fuel, and basic necessities. 

The struggle for these essentials is real; for civilians of course, and while I won't claim they are readily available for civilians, some neighbourhoods have been without electricity and water for over 10 months. People have had to relocate from these areas to ones with better conditions.

To bridge the communication gap, people are resorting to satellite internet services, paying around three thousand Sudanese pounds per hour(~3 $) in some markets 

As for fuel, the current situation forces people to obtain it from the black market at considerably high prices when needed. and this situation since early days of war began in last April.

In certain areas, electricity has been absent for over 10 months, while in other regions, voluntary teams are working tirelessly by the hour to address neighborhood issues. These efforts extend to the east and south of Khartoum, as well as areas in Sharjah Nile, and Bahri. 

While some neighborhoods currently have electricity, others have been without it for an extended period. The struggle for safe and accessible water is equally challenging and in desperate need.

Concerning food, individuals are relying on their relatives outside Sudan or in relatively safe areas. Money is sent through bank accounts, managed with satellite internet, as Khartoum, along with several states, is currently in total blackout. In response, some neighborhoods are providing free meals to thousands of families in Khartoum. The desperate need for humanitarian aid is prevalent in these challenging circumstances."

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Related

Sudan Watch - March 08, 2024

UNSC adopts Resolution 2724 (2024) calling for cessation of hostilities in Sudan during Ramadan

THE UN Security Council on Friday (Mar 8) adopted a key resolution on Sudan, calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities in the war torn country during the month of Ramadan, which begins on Sunday. There were 14 votes in favour, 0 against, one abstention (Russia).

https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2024/03/unsc-adopts-resolution-2724-2024.html

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Sudan Watch - March 11, 2024

VIDEO news report from Khartoum, Sudan on the first day of Ramadan shows no cessation of hostilities

Mr AlMigdad Hassan, correspondent for AlArabiya News Channel has filed his video report direct from Khartoum, Sudan to his X account on the first day of Ramadan, March 11th. Sadly, the footage in his report copied below shows that the cessation of hostilities by the belligerents hasn't happened.

https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2024/03/sudan-video-news-report-from-khartoum.html

END

Sudan: The state has collapsed. WFP calls for urgent, safe access to feed millions in Sudan as fighting rages

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: Today (Sat 2 Mar) I saw the below copied report by WFP 2 Feb 2024 shared at a website. After verifying some information with a few Sudan watchers, I posted the following comment:

"This article is a month old and the situation is worse with telecoms internet network outages continuing in Khartoum, Gezira, White Nile, South Kordofan and all 5 Darfur states. 

People have a problem obtaining money due to suspension of banking applications and many are unable to travel long distances to get money. 

The network outages are also compounded by the longstanding ability of international agencies to gain access to neither RSF nor SAF controlled areas. The situation is desperate and further aggravates the war’s direct toll on lives and livelihoods. 

There is a massive scale of suffering and inability of communal kitchens, emergency resistance committees or ordinary Sudanese people to provide food, medicines and essential services to people trapped in those locations. 

Khartoum is in blackout for 27th day. Who knows what's going on in the blackouts? The silence from Khartoum is deafening.  

Although the UN and all mediators are fully aware, those concerned can see no action to at least the network outages and other life-saving services. 

Who helps and protects the people in those locations? What about the elderly, infirm, sick needing healthcare, what will become of them? Has the state collapsed?"

___________________________

From World Food Programme (WFP)
Dated 02 February 2024 - here is a copy in full:

WFP calls for urgent, safe access to feed millions in Sudan as fighting rages across the country

PORT SUDAN – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) urgently calls on Sudan’s warring parties to provide immediate guarantees for the safe and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian food assistance to conflict-hit parts of Sudan, especially across conflict lines where hungry displaced civilians are trapped and cut-off from life-saving humanitarian assistance.

The situation in Sudan is dire. Despite WFP's efforts to provide food assistance to millions of people across the country since the war broke out, almost 18 million individuals across the country are currently facing acute hunger (IPC3+).

WFP has repeatedly warned of a looming hunger catastrophe in Sudan and people must be able to access aid immediately to prevent a crisis from becoming a catastrophe. Shockingly, the number of hungry has more than doubled from a year ago, and an estimated five million people are experiencing emergency levels of hunger (IPC phase 4) due to conflict in areas such as Khartoum, Darfur, and Kordofan.

WFP is the logistics backbone of the humanitarian response in Sudan and has ramped up lifesaving assistance in response to the deepening crisis, assisting over 6.5 million people since the war broke out. To reach families in Darfur, WFP established a cross-border route from Chad, through which over 1 million people have received food assistance. Other agencies have also used the route to deliver other much needed support. 

However, WFP is currently only able to regularly deliver food assistance to 1 in 10 people facing emergency levels of hunger (IPC phase 4) in Sudan. These people are trapped in conflict hotspots, including Khartoum, Darfur, Kordofan, and now Gezira, and for assistance to reach them humanitarian convoys must be allowed to cross the frontlines. Yet it is becoming nearly impossible for aid agencies to cross due to security threats, enforced roadblocks, and demands for fees and taxation.

“The situation in Sudan today is nothing short of catastrophic. Millions of people are impacted by the conflict. WFP has food in Sudan, but lack of humanitarian access and other unnecessary hurdles are slowing operations and preventing us from getting vital aid to the people who most urgently need our support,” said Eddie Rowe, WFP Sudan Representative and Country Director in Sudan. 

A vital humanitarian hub in Gezira state – which previously supported over 800,000 people a month - was engulfed by fighting in December and a key WFP warehouse looted. WFP is trying to obtain security guarantees to resume operations in the area to reach vulnerable families who are now trapped and in urgent need of food assistance.  

Over half a million people fled Gezira in December. For many it was the second or third time they have been displaced in this conflict, which has sparked the world's largest displacement crisis. But just 40,000 of the newly displaced have so far received WFP assistance because 70 trucks - carrying enough food to feed half a million people for one month – were stuck in Port Sudan for over two weeks in January waiting for clearances, which were only secured last week. Now, distributions are ongoing in Kassala, Gedaref and Blue Nile states.

Another 31 WFP trucks, which should have been making regular aid deliveries to the Kordofans, Kosti and Wad Madani, have been parked empty and have been unable to leave El Obeid for over three months. 

“Every single one our trucks need to be on the road each and every day delivering food to the Sudanese people, who are traumatised and overwhelmed after over nine months of horrifying conflict. Yet life-saving assistance is not reaching those who need it the most, and we are already receiving reports of people dying of starvation,” said Rowe. 

“Both parties to this gruesome conflict must look beyond the battlefield and allow aid organisations operate. For that, we need the uninhibited freedom of movement, including across conflict lines, to help people who so desperately need it right now, regardless of where they are,” he warned 

 

#                    #                   #

 

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters, and the impact of climate change.

 

Follow us on Twitter @WFP_Media, @WFP_Sudan

CONTACT
For more information please contact 
(email address: firstname.lastname@wfp.org):
Leni Kinzli, WFP/ Sudan, Mob. +254 769602340
Brenda Kariuki, WFP/ Nairobi. Tel, +254 707722104
James Belgrave, WFP/ Rome, Mob. +39 3665294297
Nina Valente, WFP/ London, Mob. +44 (0)796 8008 474
Martin Rentsch, WFP/ Berlin, Mob +49 160 99 26 17 30
Shaza Moghraby, WFP/ New York, Mob. + 1 929 289 9867
Steve Taravella, WFP/ Washington, Mob.  +1 202 770 5993

RELATED LINKS
Note to editors: Photos available via this link

Source: https://www.wfp.org/news/wfp-calls-urgent-safe-access-feed-millions-sudan-fighting-rages-across-country

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Related

Sudan Watch - March 01, 2024

UN experts: Sudan’s paramilitary forces carried out ethnic killings and rapes that may be war crimes - Darfur is experiencing “its worst violence since 2005”

The report to the U.N. Security Council, obtained Thursday by The Associated Press, paints a horrifying picture of the brutality of the Arab-dominated Rapid Support Forces against Africans in Darfur. It also details how the RSF succeeded in gaining control of four out of Darfur’s five states, including through complex financial networks that involve dozens of companies.

https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2024/03/un-experts-sudans-paramilitary-forces.html

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Sudan Watch - March 02, 2024

Sudan: In Zamzam camp, North Darfur, the death rate is catastrophic. At least 1 child dies every 2 hours

Malnutrition and disease are rife at the ‘overwhelmed’ Zamzam camp, a host to 300,000 internally displaced people, one of hundreds in Sudan, where war has displaced nearly 8 million people. The scale is simply terrifying. Zamzam is just one camp. There are hundreds of others in Sudan. 

https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2024/03/sudan-in-zamzam-camp-north-darfur-death.html

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END