Over 100 people, including more than 20 children, are feared dead following attacks on Zamzam and Abu Shouk displacement camps as well as Al Fasher town in North Darfur, the UN has said.
The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, said in a press release on Saturday that at least nine humanitarian personnel were also killed while on a mission to support the most vulnerable.
“The colleagues from an international non-governmental organization were killed while operating one of the very few remaining health posts still operational in the camp,” Nkweta-Salami, said.
She said reports indicated that forces affiliated with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched coordinated ground and air attacks on the camps and Al Fasher from multiple directions on April 11, triggering intense clashes and resulting in catastrophic consequences for civilians.
The attacks, Nkweta-Salami went on, represented yet another deadly and unacceptable escalation in a series of brutal attacks on displaced people and aid workers in Sudan since the onset of the conflict nearly two years ago.
“I strongly urge those committing such acts to immediately desist, as required by UN Security Council Resolution 2736, which demands an end to attacks on civilians and humanitarian personnel in Sudan,” she said.
Zamzam and Abu Shouk are some of the largest displacement camps in Darfur, sheltering more than 700,000 people who have fled cycles of violence over the years. The victims were once again caught in the crossfire, with nowhere safe to go.
Nkweta-Salami condemned the latest attacks and demanded that those responsible be held accountable.
“Attacks on civilians, on humanitarian workers, and on civilian infrastructure are grave violations of international humanitarian law. Such acts are abhorrent and inexcusable,’’ she asserted.