A Guardian investigation has found that the April attack by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Zamzam camp in North Darfur may have killed more than 1,500 civilians—far higher than previous estimates of up to 400. If confirmed, this would be Sudan’s second-deadliest atrocity since the conflict began.
The 72-hour assault, from 11–14 April, targeted Sudan’s largest displacement camp, home to tens of thousands of people uprooted by war. Survivors described mass executions, large-scale abductions, and widespread destruction. Hundreds remain missing.
Mohammed Sharif, from Zamzam’s former administration, said the death toll is likely to exceed current counts, as many bodies remain in homes, fields, and roads within the RSF-controlled camp. An atrocity expert familiar with Darfur’s history believes up to 2,000 people may have been killed—violence comparable to the genocidal campaigns against ethnic African groups in the 2000s.
The UK-based Darfur Diaspora Association reported that thousands of its members knew someone killed in the massacre, and at least 2,000 residents are still unaccounted for. Many survivors endured looting, sexual violence, and attacks while fleeing, according to Médecins Sans Frontières, which called Zamzam’s residents “one of the most vulnerable people on earth.”