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Sudan Research, Analysis, and Advocacy

by Eric Reeves

Excerpts from Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF): “Besieged, Attacked, Starved: Mass Atrocities in El Fasher and Zamzam”

8 July 2025 | Briefs & Advocacy: 2023, Top News | Author: ereeves | 4464 words

Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF): “Besieged, Attacked, Starved: Mass Atrocities in El Fasher and Zamzam”

Below are excerpts from the MSF report noted above; they are unedited except for my addition of emphasis with bold font. Where there have been elisions within paragraphs from the text, they are indicated with ellipses [ … ]; ellipses within quoted statements are those of MSF. Following the excerpts included from the INTRODUCTION, I have moved forward in this text the section of the report speaking to ETHNIC TARGETING. I believe earlier sections gain significant context from this ordering.

I would note further only that the population of Zamzam IDP camp was primarily Zaghawa, and that both sexual violence and abductions in Darfur inevitably have an ethnic animus—ER

From the Abstract

Additionally, the RSF and their allies have systematically targeted non-Arab communities, and particularly the Zaghawa: the violence has included shelling, looting, mass killings, sexual violence, and abductions, and most-recently culminated in the assault on Zamzam camp for internally displaced people (IDP). Access to healthcare has collapsed due to repeated attacks on medical facilities, and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has been forced to cease activities in El Fasher and Zamzam camp. Non-Arab communities have been left without food, water, or medical care, contributing to the spread of famine. MSF warns of ongoing ethnic violence

From the Executive Summary

The RSF and their allies have deliberately targeted non-Arab communities. Survivors of ground operations have reported systematic looting, the random or deliberate killing of civilians, and the burning of civilian buildings including private houses and markets. Sexual violence has been perpetrated on a large scale, while reports of numerous abductions of men and women suggest that disappearances have been a source of income for the RSF and their affiliates

Numerous interviewees reported that they had been targeted for being non-Arabs, and many stated that the Zaghawa were particularly at risk. The Zaghawa community constitutes the core of the Joint Forces, who were neutral until late 2023 and began fighting alongside the SAF in the defence of El Fasher and Zamzam in early 2024. Self-defence forces, largely recruited from the Zaghawa community, also began to support the Joint Forces and the SAF.

Many of the villages and neighbourhoods that the RSF and their allies targeted during their ground operations were well-known to be home to the Zaghawa. In light of the ethnically motivated mass atrocities committed on the Masalit in West Darfur, and of the recent ethnic violence and massacres perpetrated in Zamzam camp in North Darfur, MSF fears such a scenario will be repeated in El Fasher – notably because witnesses report that RSF soldiers spoke of plans to ‘clean El Fasher’ of its non-Arab, and especially Zaghawa, community.

Introduction 

The RSF and their affiliates launched offensives on the same non-Arab communities as the ones assaulted by the central government and its allied Arab forces – then known as the Janjaweed – two decades earlier. Between April and November 2023, West Darfur’s main community, the Masalit, were trapped in a renewed cycle of violence at the hands of the RSF and their allies. Meanwhile, various localities in North Darfur were attacked, for instance Tawila during the summer of 2023.

The RSF imposed a siege on the capital of North Darfur, where over one million people were living, including on nearby Zamzam camp, which hosted an estimated 500,000 IDPs. They deliberately targeted non-Arab communities, neighbourhoods and localities, carrying on large scale looting, abductions, sexual violence and executions. On April 11, 2025, the RSF and their allies launched a large-scale attack on Zamzam camp. Over 400,000 people were displaced according to the IOM1, while many were killed or injured in the camp and as they fled.

ETHNIC TARGETING

Interviewees reported a targeting of people from non-Arab communities by the RSF and their allies.

“The RSF does not treat tribes equally, they treat

Arabs better than non-Arabs, light skinned people

better than darker people, and those speaking the

nomads’ type of Arabic better than those speaking

the city style or another language.”

(Man, 18)

 “[The RSF] appear suddenly and can distinguish

between different groups of people based on their

skin colour. If you are white, you belong to them and

if you are black, you belong to the Sudanese military.

In that case, they interrogate you, punish you and

kidnap you. This happens if you are a black boy.”

(Man, 20)

RSF systematically asked civilians about their tribe, and that people found to be Zaghawa were killed.

“Zaghawa couldn’t get out of El Fasher. Nobody

could get out if they said they were Zaghawa. If I

denied my ethnic group, I could get through. […] I

was afraid that […] someone would reveal that my

husband was a Zaghawa and that they would kill him

in front of me.”

(Woman, 28)

The term “falangay”, amounting to “servant” or “slave” of the SAF, was reportedly used by the RSF on a systematic basis to speak of the Zaghawa. Additionally, several interviewees spoke of the word “qurud”, amounting to “monkeys” being said to speak of the Zaghawa. Most Zaghawa interviewed reported being targeted by the RSF and their allies due to their Zaghawa ethnicity. The same was expressed by people from other ethnicities, who stated that Zaghawa people were more at risk of being killed by the RSF and their allies than other ethnic groups.

The Zaghawa community constitutes the core of the Joint Forces, which gave up their neutrality and fought alongside the SAF, in particular in the defence of El Fasher and Zamzam. Additionally, Self-defence forces from El Fasher and Zamzam, largely recruited from the Zaghawa community, have been supporting the Joint Forces and the SAF.

“Most areas and public spaces they [the RSF]

targeted were inhabited by Zaghawa and it seems

they were targeting Zaghawa. Some of them also

think all of Zamzam is Zaghawa and it is why they

attacked it. They target Zaghawa more than other

tribes.”

(Man, 45)

“They were asking people if they belonged to the

Zaghawa, and if they did, they would kill them.”

(Man, 39)

“The RSF target all black tribes, but more the

Zaghawa than others. Because they’re saying the

Torabora [rebels] are all Zaghawa.”

(Woman, 45)

“They arrested him, asked his tribe and once

they understood he was a Zaghawa, they shot

him dead and took his tuktuk. We […] talked with

the Arabs […]. They told us clearly: “We asked his

tribe, he said Zaghawa, and we killed him. Arabs

are not going to pay any diya [compensation

money for a death] for a Zaghawa.”

(Man)

“They were threatening people: “You are falangay,

we will chase you even if you reach Tawila!”. We

heard some of them speaking in their walkie-talkies

saying: “wipe out all the Zaghawa, those falangay”.

(Man, 70)

“They asked: “are you Zaghawa?” We told them

“yes”, and then they began insulting us: “You’re

slaves, you’re falangayat. Don’t blame us, your

problems are not caused by us but by your sons

fighting us. We’ll chase you and kill you, we’ll reach

you wherever you go, even in Tawila!”

(Woman, 55)

“They look for Zaghawa women in order to do bad

things to them.”

(Man, 35)

Many of the villages and neighbourhoods that were targeted during RSF’s ground operations were well known to be home to Zaghawa communities. This was the case for the Thawra and Al Wahida neighbourhoods in El Fasher, as well as Saluma and Zamzam camp, among others. Numerous accounts state that

“They ask you: “what’s your tribe?” If you say

Zaghawa, you’ll be more targeted and humiliated

than others. They were busy looting and forgot

to ask me. They asked many of my colleagues.

Most denied being Zaghawa, they said they are

Tunjur or Berti. Some said they were Zaghawa and

were beaten or shot dead.”

(Man, 40)

Several interviewees preferred not to mention their ethnic group, nor to speak about the ethnic dimension of the conflict, possibly suggesting that ethnicity might have become a more sensitive topic as the conflict escalated. In June 2023, shortly after the RSF and their allies stormed El Geneina in West Darfur, MSF teams in Chad treated over 800 war-wounded patients in just three days, most of them Masalit who had fled the city and its surroundings. In their stories, survivors reported to MSF teams that they were targeted because of their ethnicity.

In light of the ethnically motivated mass atrocities. committed on the Masalit community in West Darfur, and of the recent ethnic violence and massacres perpetrated in Zamzam camp in North Darfur, MSF is afraid that such a scenario will be repeated in El Fasher. This is especially the case as witnesses reported that RSF spoke of plans to ‘clean El Fasher’ of its non-Arab, and especially Zaghawa, population:

“They [the RSF] spoke a lot, saying that if they

take El Fasher, they will kill all falangay, especially

Zaghawa. […] They used to say that if you kill fifty

falangay, your face will glow in the morning. They

believe in that.”

            (Man)

Survivors of the assault launched by the RSF on Zamzam camp on April 11 expressed deep concerns regarding the potential fall of El Fasher:

“If El Fasher falls, the RSF will come, rape, abduct,

kill and humiliate us, and then we [Zaghawa] will

have no more land in this country. It is about being

part of Darfur or not.”

(Man)

“Only God knows what will happen in El Fasher. But

if the RSF take El Fasher, they will carry out ethnic

cleansing and genocide, like what happened in El

Geneina.”

Man, 41

[end of section on ETHNIC TARGETING]

 

October 2020

After two months of fighting between Masalit and Arab armed groups, including RSF units, the Masalit governor of West Darfur was murdered in the state capital, El Geneina, leading to the defeat of Masalit fighters and mass violence against Masalit civilians by the RSF and their allies. A UN report estimated that 10,000 to 15,000 people were killed in El Geneina between April 15 and November 2023.

Shortly after the eruption of fighting in Khartoum, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their allied armed groups launched attacks on the same non-Arab communities in Darfur as the ones targeted twenty years ago by the Janjaweed, in particular in West Darfur. On June 15, after two months of fighting between Masalit and Arab armed groups, including RSF units, the Masalit governor of West Darfur was murdered in the state capital, El Geneina. Masalit residents, who had already faced decades. of war and forced displacement, were trapped in a renewed cycle of violence at the hands of the RSF and their allies. They were forced to leave El Geneina and many tried to seek safety in Ardamata, a town located on the city’s outskirts and home to the SAF garrison. MSF teams in eastern Chad treated 858 war-wounded people from June 15 to June 17, most of them Masalit fleeing the city and surroundings of El Geneina. In early November, the RSF and their allies took Ardamata, facing very limited resistance from the SAF. A UN report estimated that 10,000 to 15,000 people were killed in El Geneina between April 15 and November, 2023.

DELIBERATE TARGETING OF NON-ARAB COMMUNITIES BY THE RAPID SUPPORT FORCES

Systematic ground attacks

Multiple ground operations have been carried out by the RSF on El Fasher and nearby localities. Survivors of such attacks report systematic looting, the random or deliberate killing of civilians and the burning of civilian infrastructure including private houses and markets. Before the escalation of fighting in El Fasher, surrounding localities witnessed direct attacks from the RSF. This was the case of the attack on Tawila in June and July 2023, that went largely unreported. As highlighted by several witnesses, markets and houses were looted and burnt, while many civilians were killed. When fighting then escalated in El Fasher in May 2024, ground operations were also carried out by the RSF. As everywhere else, residents and their houses were systematically looted.

While the SAF and Joint Forces repelled the RSF, the latter continued shelling the town, including civilian areas such as markets. Ground attacks by the RSF also took place in IDP camps neighboring El-Fasher. This was the case in Abu Shok and Al Salam IDP camps in May 2024. Victims of such attacks recall how the RSF systematically stole the population’s belongings, including their cars and livestock, while destroying their means of livelihood.

Several survivors also spoke of abductions of both civilian men and women.

“In May, the RSF attacked the camp, shot randomly,

killed and looted people’s belongings, vehicles. In

one house, they saw men playing cards and shot

them dead. They also kidnapped 4 men and boys.”

(Man, 50)

“In May, the RSF attempted many times to enter Abu

Shok. They clashed with the Joint Forces and SAF. As

mothers, we stayed inside homes. One day, we saw two

children shot dead by the RSF […]. That day, after

seeing they were shooting civilians, some scared

people left their homes and the RSF looted those homes.”

(Woman, 31)

Until the beginning of December 2024, Zamzam was considered by many civilians to be a relatively safe place. As a result, massive population movements were reported from nearby villages as well as from El Fasher towards Zamzam. When fighting erupted in Zamzam in December 2024 and then intensified at the end of January and in February 2025, the camp was hosting many more IDPs than before, possibly up to 700,000. Attacks on Zamzam started from Saluma, located in the north and close to MSF’s field hospital. Following the attack, Saluma was left empty.

“When the attack was in the northern part of

Zamzam, the civilians moved to the south. It was

then only the MSF hospital that remained there,

everything around it was empty. […] They knew

[these were civilian areas] […] They stated clearly

that they wanted all civilians to move.”

(Man, 30)

“When the first [attack] which took place in the north,

after Friday prayers, happened, people stayed in the

mosque and they said that when they were there, the

RSF came and started to attack. Some people told us

that they faced them, and said “Do you have any guns

here?”, and that they started shooting randomly.”

(Man, 27)

Shortly afterwards, the RSF and affiliated forces launched attacks on the southern part of the camp, where the main market was located. According to Yale School of Public Health, over half of the main market in Zamzam was razed to the ground between February 9 and 13. Several IDPs present at the market during the attack recall the looting and burning of shops, in addition to the killing of civilians.

“We saw them, the market was the target, they

wanted the market because it meant a lot of

wealth, they could take people’s vehicles and use

them, they could take all the sheep, cows…”

(Man, 30)

“During the second attack, there was fighting in

the streets from 2 pm until sunset. It was when the

market was burnt […]. Everyone was running around,

you could see injured and dead people everywhere.”

(Woman, 42)

Further ground attacks were reported by interviewees in localities south of Zamzam, such as Um Hejalij in late February 2025, and in Tabit and Dar es Salam in early March 2025. IDPs who arrived in Tawila after having fled these localities also recalled beatings, houses being burnt and attacks on markets, as well as systematic looting.

“In March 25, the RSF attacked the area around Dar

es Salam and looted everything. I saw them looting

a lot of animals and killing 27 people, the majority

were Zaghawa.”

(Male, 62)

As highlighted by Yale School of Public Health, between December 12, 2024 and February 4, 2025, 23 communities in El Fasher, Dar es Salam, and Tawila suffered from “thermal scarring consistent with intentional razing to structures”13. Between February 19 and March 16, the Yale School of Public Health identified thermal scarring consistent with intentional razing of structures in 18 communities located in the areas around El Fasher and Tawila. 12 out of the 18 localities had already been attacked by the RSF.

RSF ATTACK ON ZAMZAM CAMP, LAUNCHED ON APRIL 11, 2025

Between mid-February and the beginning of April 2025, the situation remained relatively calm in Zamzam camp. New waves of IDPs reached the camp from surrounding villages where ground operations were being carried out by the RSF. On April 11, a large-scale assault was launched by the RSF and allied forces on Zamzam. All survivors interviewed by MSF teams reported that many civilians were killed, including many women and children.

“We started to hear the shooting at nine, and it

never stopped until after sunset. There was so much

shooting and shelling on our houses, in the streets,

everywhere. There were so many people injured and

killed, even very small children. […] We heard some

stories from people who stayed behind. They told

us that on Sunday our neighbours were all killed

and that the houses were burnt.”

(Woman, 21)

“Some men were hiding in their house, they dug

holes and covered themselves with wood to try to

protect themselves. Six men were hiding in a hole,

and when the RSF found them, they killed them.”

(Woman, 20)

On Friday April 11, Sheikh Farah Koranic school was attacked by the RSF. IDPs who had recently arrived in. Zamzam after having fled violence in other villages were living in the school, and many were reportedly killed.

“Every single person they were seeing, they shot

at them, no matter if it was a child, a woman or an

elderly person.”

(Woman, 40)

“Many RSF cars entered the school and [they] killed

13 people. When they saw anyone, men or male

children, they killed them.”

(Woman, 48)

“One mortar shell fell on us, I was injured and

my daughter too. […] 12 civilians died, including

3 relatives and 44 were injured, including my daughter

and myself, by only one mortar shell.”

(Woman, 55)

“They came to the fence, pointed at my husband

across the fence, and shot him dead with 2 bullets

in the back, near the shoulder. They also shot dead

my 5-year-old son who was lying between us, in

the back. The blood ran onto my 3-year-old son,

who then came towards me. Both my husband and

son died immediately. Then they shot me in the

right leg and the right hand. […] My blind uncle

was lying on his side, they also shot him dead in

the back. […] I don’t have any hope. When they

shot my son, parts of his body fell in my hand.”

(Woman, 25)

“Zamzam became like hell, there was shelling and

shooting from all sides except the northwest. Many

were just lying on the road, some injured, even some

children, but there was no way to rescue them, there

was nowhere to take them. There was no medicine

for them, so many kept bleeding until they died.”

(Man, 38)

On that same day, nine staff of Relief International were killed while inside a health clinic in the camp. Two additional employees later passed away from their injuries. Relief International was the last international aid organisation still operating in Zamzam IDP camp.

“Relief International staff were hiding in a foxhole.

The RSF shouted: “come out, falangayat [slaves]!”

They put them under a zinc shelter, lined them

up, and shot them all. I saw it with my own eyes”

(Woman, 25)

Entire areas of the camp were reportedly burnt on the following day, according to several survivors.… With no functional health facility within Zamzam camp, most injured people were not able to reach life-saving medical assistance. As reported by several interviewees, the SAF did not intervene during the RSF assault on Zamzam camp.

“In February, the Joint Forces and the SAF came

to support Self-defence forces in Zamzam, but

this time the Self-defence was mostly left alone

and lacked ammunition.”

(Man, 34)

“During the previous RSF attack on Zamzam,

when they burnt the market, the SAF and the Joint

Forces intervened and repelled the RSF but this

time [the SAF] did not intervene. They were aware,

as they had some police present in the camp, but

were not willing to come.”

(Man, 40)

An important share of Zamzam’s population was said. to have fled to El Fasher, where they remained trapped, out of reach of humanitarian aid and exposed to attacks and further mass violence. IOM reported that over 400,000 people were displaced from Zamzam camp between April 13 and May 2, 2025… The scale of sexual violence around Zamzam camp hindered women’s ability to fetch water and wood.

“Rape cases take place when women go to farm

outside, each farming season. This year, two Zaghawa

women went to Um Hashab, 7 km west of Zamzam.

The Janjaweed raped them and left them there.”

(Man, 21)

Survivors of the ground operation launched on Zamzam camp by the RSF on April 11 also reported sexual violence:

“On the south side of the camp, which they were able

to occupy, […] they started raping women”

“In Zamzam, I heard the RSF chatting, saying

“Yesterday we raped women”, and one mentioned he

had raped young girls.”

       (Man, 45)

Abductions for ransom and forced recruitment

Numerous witnesses reported that men and boys were abducted and then forcibly recruited by the RSF.

“The RSF entered at night, shot any man they saw,

and kidnapped any teenage boys they found to

recruit them by force. Many of our neighbours’ sons

were forcibly recruited. They took many youths

with them. We don’t have any news about them.

Nobody has seen them again.”

(Woman, 37)

“In El Salam and Abu Shok [IDP camps], the RSF

often came and recruited men and boys by force,

regardless of their age and their tribe. Three sons of

my aunt, aged 17, 20 and 28, were recruited by force

in Abu Shok by the RSF. We have no news of them.”

(Woman, 28)

Some witnesses explained how men, and boys sometimes younger than ten-years-old, were abducted by the RSF and their allies and forced to herd the animals they had stolen from people from non-Arab communities.

“They took donkeys, sheep and goats, including

9 goats and 2 sheep from my aunt. They also took

young men, and even old men, to use them as

shepherds and take those animals away.”

Man, 24

Many others spoke of kidnappings for ransom, with the amount demanded varying between SDG 250,000 [about $128] and 3 million [about $602]. While most witnesses spoke of abductions of men, cases of women being kidnapped were mentioned as well.

“In neighbouring El Salam IDP camp, a cousin who

was fifteen years old was kidnapped by the RSF

to recruit him in May and now they’re asking for a

ransom of SDG 3 million [about $602]. We don’t know

where he is. Two days ago, my cousin’s son, moving

from El Fasher to Korma, was kidnapped and we don’t

know what happened to him. About 50 IDPs from El

Fasher, Abu Shok and El Salam have disappeared.”

Man, 39

“If they [Arab armed groups] find men in the farms,

they take them as hostages and demand huge

ransoms. It happened twice. Two or three months

ago, at the beginning of the rainy season, [They]

from Gallab captured 15 Zaghawa shepherds, adults

and children, from Zamzam, in Donki Sharafa, 17 km

south-west of Zamzam, stole all their livestock, and

took the shepherds to Gallab, and asked SDG 1 million

[about $513] each for their release. The omdas

[traditional leaders] of Zamzam collected the money,

paid and those 15 were released after a month.”

Man, 21

Such reports therefore suggest that the abductions of men and women have been a source of income for the RSF and affiliated forces. Because of the fear to be forcibly recruited, witnesses spoke of young men being afraid to leave their area and cross the frontline.

Neighbourhoods, civilian gatherings and infrastructure under repeated shelling

Civilian neighbourhoods, gatherings and infrastructure have been repeatedly shelled by the RSF. Some specific neighbourhoods of El Fasher have been particularly affected:

“Thawra, Hay al Jil, Hay al Salam, Tadamun

neighbourhoods, suffered a lot. In some houses, one

RSF shell killed a whole family. The shells entered

our house, some walls collapsed, and the iron roof

was partly broken. We were very frightened.”

Woman, 37

IDP camps surrounding El Fasher have been especially impacted by shelling. This was the case for Abu Shok, which came under shelling in March 2024. As explained by residents of the camp, numerous civilian buildings, such as schools, mosques, playgrounds and shops, were damaged or destroyed.

“From that time, shelling took place almost every

day. These attacks caused huge destruction

to houses, markets, hospitals, schools, even

mosques, and private properties. Everything was

destroyed. Some entire families were killed, and

many families lost members: children, fathers,

mothers. Shelling is what caused the most deaths.”

(Man, 50)

“In April [2024], tensions escalated and the RSF

shelled with mortars, 120 mm guns, and other

heavy guns directed at Abu Shok IDP camp. They

killed more than 250 civilians and injured more

than 2,000. I used to receive those who reached the

emergency [department] and refer them to South

Hospital and sometimes to Saudi Hospital. RSF

shelling also destroyed houses and shops in Abu

Shok. […] The shells on Abu Shok came from the

north, meaning they were shot by RSF, not the SAF.”

(Man, 39)

“In June [2024], 3 RSF bombs fell on our

neighbourhood and killed and injured many people.

Another bombing round of 5 bombs took place three

days later, falling on Abu Shok market, and another

close to our house, one on the playground, one on

the nutrition centre not far from our house, burning

the stocks of Plumpy Nut, milk and drugs. One

bomb on the market killed 17 people, including my

cousin, and 2 other cousins were injured. […] I saw

RSF drones. Some had bombs and were bombing.

I saw them from away, they bombed another

block of the camp, where a celebration of a new

birth was being held, and 3 women were killed. I

went to see the bodies and the drone itself, which

had fallen on the ground.”

(Woman, 31)

Zamzam IDP camp has been under shelling from the RSF since the end of 2024. Between December 1 and January 21, 2025, MSF team recorded 11 days of shelling and at least 129 shells. 66 casualties were received at the MSF field hospital, including 14 dead on arrival. Additionally, 67 deaths were reported in the community. These figures likely failed to capture the true extent of the death toll, since many could not access care. The RSF were identified by IDPs as being the perpetrators of these attacks based on the direction the shelling was coming from.

“The first phase of the bombing was very random,

it was on many areas like markets. […] After every

bombing, we would receive many trauma cases,

some of them severe and all types, like men,

women, children. The majority were children.”

(Man, 27, NGO staff)

“Some bombs fell on schools where displaced people

used to stay. Some bombs fell on the market. These

were places where civilians were gathering.”

(Man, 27)

“All the patients who came were civilians. Also, we

had community health workers who were doing their

work in the area, so we got the information that it was

only civilians in the areas that were under attack.”

(Man, 30, NGO staff)

About the Author

cer1 Eric Reeves has been writing about greater Sudan for the past twenty-three years. His work is here organized chronologically, and includes all electronic and other publications since the signing of the historic Machakos Protocol (July 2002), which guaranteed South Sudan the right to a self- determination referendum. There are links to a number of Reeves’ formal publications in newspapers, news magazines, academic journals, and human rights publications, as well as to the texts of his Congressional testimony and a complete list of publications, testimony, and academic presentations.
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