Sudan army bombs famine-stricken North Darfur camp

Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) warplanes bombed Zamzam camp for displaced people south of El Fasher, North Darfur, on Sunday evening, injuring four children and leaving them in critical condition.

In a statement after the bombing, the Zamzam camp emergency room said that two barrel bombs fell inside residential neighbourhoods in the camp, destroying more than 20 homes. “One of the two shells exploded, while the other did not, causing fear and panic in the camp.

“The impact from the first shell, which did not detonate, damaged four houses. The second shell destroyed 16 houses, and injured four children.”

The emergency room called on relevant authorities to intervene and “remove the unexploded barrel for the safety of the displaced people”, condemning the bombing as a crime.

In a communiqué seen by Radio Dabanga, the Gathering of Sudan Liberation Forces (GSLF), led by El Taher Hajar, said that the SAF “bombed Zamzam camp at 02.30 on Monday morning with explosive barrels”.

The group warned against targeting camps for the displaced, noting that they “contain no military targets or gatherings”, making the bombing a war crime under international law, the communiqué states.

This is the first time that Zamzam camp, which houses about 500,000 displaced people, has been hit in the ongoing war between the SAF and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Other camps in North Darfur, such as Abu Shouk camp and Abuja camp, have been targeted in past months.

On August 1, several United Nations agencies, in partnership with the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) and the US Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), officially declared a famine in Zamzam camp.