Death toll rises to 74: International Relief condemns killing of its staff in Zamzam camp in Darfur

Moatinoon
The International Relief Organization condemned the killing of nine of its staff, including doctors, referral drivers, and a team leader, in Zamzam camp near El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state. It expressed its deep sorrow over the attack by the Rapid Support Forces on the camp on Friday evening. The Sudanese army said the death toll among the displaced had risen to 74 today.

It expressed its shock, as the clinic it oversees is the only remaining access to healthcare in Zamzam camp. The organization is one of the last providers of essential health and humanitarian services in the camp.

The organization said in a statement that the attack resulted in the complete destruction of the central market in Zamzam and hundreds of temporary homes. The lives of innocent people were devastated, as the most vulnerable—including the elderly, women, and children—were deliberately targeted.

It revealed the severe difficulties in establishing communication lines in the area to confirm that hundreds of innocent people were killed as a result of this attack.

The Sudanese army confirmed that the death toll from the Rapid Support Forces attack on Zamzam camp had risen to 74, on the second day of the RSF offensive.

The Sudanese army reported that the camp was subjected to two attacks on Friday. The army and supporting forces repelled the first attack, from the western side of the camp. However, the second attack resulted in the RSF setting fire to several homes and killing civilians inside the camp.

In a separate statement, the General Coordination for Displaced Persons and Refugees in Darfur expressed its deep concern, noting that another attack occurred on Saturday morning. The organization described the situation as "extremely critical" for the displaced and innocent civilians in the area.

Local resistance committees in El Fasher also reported on Saturday that the Rapid Support Forces launched a new attack on the camp, which lasted for more than three hours.

The local committees added that several students from a traditional Quranic school, known as the "Khalwat Sheikh Farah," were killed during the attack, along with medical personnel working in the camps hospitals and clinics.