Dozens flee deadly RSF attacks in north Darfur as camps suffer heavy losses

Dozens of displaced Sudanese arrived Saturday in Tawila town in North Darfur after attacks by Sudan's notorious paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces.

The Rapid Support Forces and allied militias launched an offensive on the Zamzam and Abu Shorouk camps and the nearby city of el-Fasher, the provincial capital of North Darfur province, on Friday, a UN official said.

The two-day attack on the famine-hit camps for displaced people left more than 100 dead, including 20 children and nine aid workers.

El-Fasher is under the control of the military, which has fought the RSF since Sudan descended into civil war two years ago, killing more than 24,000 people, according to the United Nations, though activists say the number is likely far higher.

The camps were attacked again on Saturday, the UN official said in a statement.

The offensive forced about 2,400 people to flee the camps and el-Fasher, according to the General Coordination for Displaced Persons and Refugees, a local group in Darfur.

Zamzam and Abu Shouk shelter more than 700,000 people who have been forced to flee their homes across Darfur during past bouts of fighting in the region, the UN said.

Late last month, the Sudanese military regained control over Khartoum, a major symbolic victory in the war.

But the RSF still controls most of Darfur and some other areas.

The two camps are among five areas in Sudan where famine was detected by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, IPC, a global hunger monitoring group. The war has created the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with about 25 million people — half of Sudan’s population — facing extreme hunger.