UN Report Exposes Brutal RSF Offensive on Zamzam IDP Camp, Urges Global Action

The report describes the assault as part of a “consistent pattern of serious violations of international humanitarian law and gross abuses of international human rights law.”

A newly published report by the UN Human Rights Office has revealed harrowing details of widespread atrocities—including mass killings, rape, torture and abductions—committed during the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) offensive on the Zamzam internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Sudan from 11 to 13 April 2025. The attack left at least 1,013 civilians dead and displaced more than 400,000 people who had already been uprooted by previous waves of violence.

The report describes the assault as part of a “consistent pattern of serious violations of international humanitarian law and gross abuses of international human rights law.”

Over 1,000 Civilians Killed, Including Summary Executions

Of the victims documented:

• 319 civilians were summarily executed, either inside the camp or while attempting to flee.

• Others were killed in house-to-house searches, marketplaces, schools, health centres and mosques.

• Survivors recounted scenes of indiscriminate slaughter.

One community leader, hiding with 10 men, described RSF fighters firing through small window holes, killing eight of them instantly. A grieving mother, returning to the camp after the attack to search for her missing 15-year-old son, found “scattered dead bodies on the roads” and an empty camp inhabited only by abandoned livestock. She did not find her son.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said such deliberate killing of civilians may amount to the war crime of murder and underscored the urgent need for impartial investigations and accountability.

Sexual Violence Used to Terrorize the Community

The report documents 104 survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, including:

• 75 women

• 26 girls

• 3 boys

Most survivors were from the Zaghawa ethnic group. Abuse included rape, gang rape, and sexual slavery, both during the attack and along escape routes. The report notes that sexual violence appeared to be systematically used to instill terror and break the fabric of the community.

Starvation Tactics and Systematic Deprivation

In the months preceding the attack, the RSF reportedly imposed a blockade on Zamzam IDP camp, preventing entry of food, water, fuel, and essential supplies. Individuals attempting to bring food into the camp were attacked; 26 people were reportedly executed along the Zamzam–Tawila road as a warning.

To survive, families resorted to feeding children animal feed, including peanut shells.

Patterns of Impunity Reflect Broader Crisis in Sudan

UN High Commissioner Volker Türk stated that the atrocities in Zamzam mirror abuses his office has previously documented, including during the RSF’s takeover of El Fasher in October.

He called the findings a “stark reminder of the need for prompt action to end the cycles of atrocities and violence,” stressing that the international community must not allow such brutality to become normalized.

Türk urged all States—particularly those with influence over warring parties—to:

• Act immediately to prevent further crimes under international law

• Increase pressure to halt the violence across Darfur, Kordofan and beyond

• Stop the flow of arms fueling the conflict

• Pursue sustained diplomacy for a ceasefire and long-term resolution

Based on Firsthand Accounts From Survivors

The report draws on extensive monitoring, including interviews with 155 survivors and witnesses conducted in eastern Chad in July 2025. These testimonies form a critical body of evidence documenting abuses that may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Full UN Human Rights Office Report

The full report is available here:https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/country-reports/report-ohchr-sudan-country-office-offensive-rapid-support-forces-zamzam