From the coordinating counselor of Team Zamzam (received November 25, 2023; posted November 27)
A field report from Team Zamzam that attempts to shed light on the humanitarian, health, and security conditions in and around the Zamzam camp for displaced people—as well as the city of El Fasher—for the current month of November.
The overall humanitarian and health situation in El Fasher and Zamzam camp
The humanitarian and the health situation in the capital of North Darfur and its surrounding the IDP camps has reached a critical stage, according to city notables, local charitable humanitarian organizations, local activists and practitioners who are working on the ground.
What has contributed to this rapid, uncontrolled, and frightening deterioration is the sequence of events that began after the fall of the city of Nyala, capital of South Darfur (October 26, 2023). This has contributed significantly to ongoing human suffering. Indeed, the deterioration of health conditions throughout Darfur has accelerated since start of the war, which continues the scorched-earth policies of the al-Bashir regime earlier in the ongoing genocide.
But the pace with which the critical need for security and humanitarian assistance has accelerated over the past three years. The population throughout Darfur is at a loss to understand why there is not greater concern on the part of the international community. People in Darfur are self-reliant, making use of the blessings of its fertile land. Abundant resources—primarily agriculture and herds of livestock—formerly fed much of Sudan and neighboring countries.
Today, however, more than 80% of Darfur’s population is experiencing severe living conditions, with acute shortages of food and water. Malnutrition among children is extremely alarming. According to local statistics, there are about 3.8 million people threatened with death from hunger and thirst after the expansion of the conflict in the region. This is the direct result of militias loyal to the Rapid Support Forces, which control the main roads in most of the Darfur states. This comes at a time when there is also an acute lack of relief and medical supplies. There has also been an interruption of the water supply for many in shelters for displaced persons, this in addition to the scarcity of fuel and the almost complete lack of food in the region.
The rapid deterioration of health conditions has been worsened by the inability of local and international health organizations to reach areas where insecurity is extreme because of ongoing fighting or RSF control. Today, the state of North Darfur, with its capital El Fasher, has become vastly overcrowded within shelter centers, especially in the southwestern part of the city, where all the schools have become shelters for displaced persons. They have fled from all directions, a large number from the state of South Darfur and its capital city, Nyala. Ohers from the Tawila locality, and the villages adjacent to it, have fled, as have others from the northeastern neighborhoods of El Fasher.
Within the city and the Abuja and Nafasha camps, everyone has been displaced to the south of El Fasher city or to Zamzam camp for the displaced. All of them have become shelter centers for the displaced, and the entire state has become vulnerable to waves of hunger, dehydration, and fear of injury from heavy weapons. As a consequence of extreme insecurity in North Darfur state, the prices of foodstuffs and basic necessities have risen to astronomical levels.
The health situation inside the displacement camps and North Darfur generally
Health services are on the verge of collapse, especially the El Fasher Hospital in the south of the city. It has been the only hospital operating in the health field since the beginning of the fighting that has now spread to the capital of North Darfur. Additional constraints on provision of health care include the doctors’ strike in protest of financial difficulties and the state’s inability to provide salaries to health workers.
Diseases have increased in El Fasher and Zamzam IDP camp, and the number of those injured increases with daily random bombardment of the population. The health situation has become extremely difficult for the wounded and injured, both inside and outside North Darfur. The El Fasher Hospital for Obstetrics and Gynecology has become an area perilously close to Janjaweed militia and RSF remnants within the city, so intimidation of workers in these fields has led to premature births and other obstetrical issues. This in turn has led to an increase in the death of newborns and stress for the mothers.
There is also a wave of deadly diseases and unknown afflictions. Most are malaria, infections from unhygienic conditions, and dengue fever, all of which are spreading in all directions inside and outside the camps for displaced persons. The health resources have almost completely collapsed, so there is not enough medicine for the camp residents, even emergency pharmaceutical treatments—and dressing for wounds—have nearly run out.
The security situation in and around El Fasher
The security situation inside the displacement camps and around the capital has deteriorated dramatically. North Darfur, like the rest of the states in Darfur, continues to suffer from a state of complete insecurity. Residents of Zamzam camp are suffering even more from insecurity and a lack of safety—problems greater at present than at any point in the past eighteen years. Over the past three years, the security situation has deteriorated to the point that most residents of Zamzam are essentially hostages inside the camp.
Security and peace are essential for normal human life, but sadly today all roads to and from El Fasher are completely besieged from all directions. The city of El Fasher—including its IDP’s and IDP camps—neighboring towns and villages…all have have been surrounded by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their allied militias. Even those coming to the city and those leaving are subjected to violent extortion, and their property is plundered at gunpoint by the RSF at checkpoints.
On the road linking Golo [just to the west of El Fasher] and El Fasher itself, the newly displaced who fleeing the northeastern neighbourhoods to the countryside for fear of militia violence have been subjected to beatings and plundering at gunpoint.
One of those fleeing from the Golo area west of El Fasher who reached Zamzam camp area said:
“All our agricultural crops were seized and even the men’s shoes and women’s dresses were not left to us.”
All the possessions of those fleeing El Fasher are looted and stolen, including food supplies and mobile phones. Previously, the Janjaweed militias allied with the RSF used Toyota vehicles for transportation; but today most of them use the vehicle to carry out their criminal enterprises. Entry or exit from El Fasher is becoming more complicated every day, especially in the northwestern part of the city.
Only a few kilometres outside of the city, there are gates and checkpoints controlled by the RSF; they focus on robbing citizens under the threat of both heavy and light weapons, demanding payment of fees for leaving or entering the city. This new reality has created more tension and psychological instability leading to escalating waves of displacement. Day after day, the entire population of El Fasher lives in terror and panic. Many are considering leaving for the areas of neighboring villages while others are considering Chad, Libya, Dar Zaghawa in the far north of North Darfur, and the mountains of the Jebel Marra.
The of victims of sexual violence and their stories of suffering
There are far too many stories of women who are victims of sexual violence. Since the beginning of the fighting in Sudan this past April, the Zamzam team has encountered too many new victims of sexual violence, and each of these victims has a new and extremely painful story of rape to tell.
In this war, the most affected groups are women, young girls, and children who live in camps for the displaced, and these vulnerable groups are constantly exposed to the dangers of sexual violence inflicted by the Janjaweed militias with the direct support of the Rapid Support Forces.
Here we present the story of a survivor and victim who was subjected to sexual and physical violence in the state of South Darfur, Nyala, after the recent events leading to then following the fall of the city to the RSF:
Her name is M.M., she is 24 years old, married and a mother of two children. She was attacked by the RSF inside her home in the city of Nyala, in the Nahda neighborhood, at exactly four in the afternoon; the four armed men who attacked her carried weapons, as well as a stick and a whip.The victim said:
“The Rapid Support Forces stormed my house and started asking me where the money is, which tribe I belong to, where my husband is, whether he was affiliated with the Sudanese army or the armed movements, and many other questions—all the while my children and I were shaking with fear.”
The victim said:
“The four RSF men searched every corner of my house for an hour and they did not find anything. One of them said to me: ‘Get ready—you will pay a heavy price, you vile black woman!’ And he hit me in the face until I fell to the ground and lost consciousness. And then, two of them took turns sexually assaulting me while the third one was insulting my children with degrading words.”
After her ordeal of four hours in her house, she pleaded to them to leave her, but they gave her twenty-four hours to leave her house or otherwise she would suffer the same fate in the morning.
The victim said,
“The RSF men said to me that Nyala had become a city of a noble race of Arabs and there was no place for you, you black Jews.” After that the victim immediately ran with her young children to seek help from her neighbours who were leaving the city in a rush. Eventually she left with them to reach El Fasher after six days of a difficult trip. Counselors from team Zamzam visited her to provide her with intensive psychological counseling and now she is recovering gradually, but her children are still deeply traumatised by the events.
Testimony from Aziza
Aziza recently moved from Nyala to reach Zamzam camp. Aziza said that she was subjected to sexual, physical and verbal violence on the seventeenth of November while she was leaving her home in a state of panic and terror that has gripped the entire city of Nyala. Aziza said:
“After we spent the night terrified by the sounds of the gunshots, the screaming, and the crying in the Al-Jir neighborhood, early in the morning, I and some of my neighbors decided to leave the city as quickly as possible. While on our way, the RSF men stopped us and asked us where we were going, and we told them that we were looking for food, and indeed some of us were suffering from hunger since everything had run out after a few days.
“After they stopped us, they divided us into tribes and then young girls were put in a group; this is when I felt something sinister was about to happen. I screamed loudly, telling the young girls who were with us to run, but one of the men hit me with the back of his firearm and broke my nose and two upper teeth. I fell to the ground and they started kicking me with their dirty boots until I fainted. We were then moved from the side of the road to a house near Nyala airport where we remained isolated from each other for three days—and we suffered further humiliation, beatings, and sexual assaults.
“The next day, they brought us near the side of the road where they stopped us on the first day, and they fired their rifles in the air and said, ‘Run toward El Fasher, you slaves.’ After suffering and walking for five days, finally a few people rescued us in an area near Kazan-Jadid and brought us to Zamzam camp. Upon our arrival at Zamzam, no humanitarian organization reached us to help except the Sisters from Team Zamzam and volunteers, and thank God they brought us some basic necessities and painkillers.”
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Distribution of basic necessities and number of beneficiaries: from the coordinating counselor of Team Zamzam
Through our visits and follow-up surveys of the situation of the newly displaced people who fled from the Nyala to the shelter centers inside Zamzam camp; we found their numbers to be as follows:
Number of families: 2,856 families.
Number of individuals: 11,136 individuals.
Number of children under five years old: 3,017 children.
Number of children over five years old: 1,808.
Most of these families depend mainly on the displaced people of Zamzam camp for food, drink and even medicine through initiatives by young volunteers to serve the displaced with individual efforts, collecting contributions from generous people and local traders. They also suffer from shortages of basic health services and hygiene.
Distributing of basic necessities for this month November (through November 25):
We have targeted displaced people in the shelter of Al-Bayan and Al-Kifah schools in El Fasher, in addition to two shelter centers in Zamzam camp. The total number of beneficiaries was 416 families, or roughly 1,500 people. These included:
290 families inside the two centers in Zamzam.
126 families in Al-Kifah and Al-Bayan schools.
The food items that were distributed: sugar, rice, and red lentils equally in the form of a package of bags. Each bag contains 2.5 pounds of sugar, 2 kilos of red lentils, and 1 kilo of rice. The beneficiaries who benefited from the service are all segments of society, but most of them are women, children, and people with special needs.
Critical situation inside shelter centers in Zamzam
There is great fear and psychological trauma because of ongoing military violence
Shortages of food, hunger and thirst due to the absence of all sources of family income; again this agricultural season there has been an absence of harvesting crops.
Spread of chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer; and there are also malaria, infections, and cases of dengue fever very frequently. There are cases of death of newborn children due to the absence of basic health services.
There is cold and apprehension in the atmosphere between fall and winter. All displaced people fleeing fighting areas are in need of winter clothes and blankets to protect their children from infections and colds.
There are many disabled people of all types and conditions who are in need of services to assist in their movements and treatment services.
Recommendations from within the shelter centers
The need to stop the war, crimes against citizens and ceasefire so that the displaced can return to their normal lives.
The return all property looted by the Rapid Support Forces from inside their homes.
The necessity of opening roads, expanding livelihoods, especially opening and securing access to fuel and food.
Accelerating the immediate and rapid intervention of charitable organizations to save the lives of the displaced and provide basic life necessities.
The necessity of providing health services, especially hospital services, particularly the Southern El Fasher Hospital, which is considered fundamental in serving the entire state.
Other work and action carried out during November 2023
- 42 individual counseling sessions have been carried out.
- 19 Group counseling sessions have been carried out.
- A total of 8 inspection visits inside the Zamzam camp.
- A total of 52 patients have been accompanied to different clinics and hospitals to El-Fasher.
- Four follow-up meetings with different groups and neighbourhood representatives.
- An important water well has been repaired and renamed for one of our generous donors.
- 3 fistula patients have been accompanied to hospital for medical treatment.
Testimonial from a recent fistula patient
Maymouna Abkar Ibrahim, 23 years old, is from the village of Al-Qalab, west of Zamzam. She has been displaced with her family since 2014 and has always lived in Zamzam camp.
Maimouna said: “Some years after were displaced, we decided to return to our village for farming but in 2021, the Janjaweed [sexually assaulted] us, and in that attack, most of my family members were killed; luckily I and my mother manged to escape to Zamzam again.”
Last year I felt a severe pain in my vaginal area; initially I was very afraid of telling anyone until I couldn’t bear it anymore. I told my mother, but she couldn’t afford to take me to hospital for treatment. I continued to live with my pain until my cousin heard about the Sisters of Team Zamzam. Two months ago the Sisters came to see me and then they took me to the clinic for treatment. Now I feel very much better and my pain has gone. I am very grateful for this help.”