Sudan war: UN official ‘extremely concerned’ about displaced unable to leave Zamzam camp

United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami yesterday expressed her deep concerns about recent reports of Sudanese unable to leave the beleaguered Zamzam camp for displaced in North Darfur.

Referring to the large Zamzam camp south of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan stated yesterday that “I am extremely concerned about recent reports of civilians unable – and in some cases actively prevented – from leaving areas of conflict, basically being held hostage in areas of active fighting.

“The passage of civilians fleeing to safety must be ensured, as called for under International Humanitarian Law,” she stressed.

“In Zamzam camp in Al Fasher, North Darfur, tens of thousands of people – the majority of whom are women, children and elderly – have been facing intermittent conditions of siege, shelling and ground attacks. They are hungry and children are malnourished.”

This largest camp in Darfur is now home to an estimated one million people, as the number of residents doubled since the current SAF-RSF war erupted in April 2023. The displaced have been suffering from a lack of food since the early days of the war. In June 2024, “famine thresholds were exceeded” in the camp.

Nkweta-Salami also pointed international aid organisations being forced by the ongoing violence to suspend their work in the camp, which since December last year has been prone to repeated attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), reportedly reacting to the presence of Darfur Joint Force rebel combatants in the camp.

“Relief workers have not been spared from the horrendous acts of violence and abuse, and critical humanitarian response efforts have had to be halted.

“Armed actors operating near or within populated areas are posing direct threats to civilians and blocking the delivery of lifesaving humanitarian assistance,” she stated.

“Recently, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) announced the suspension of all activities in Zamzam camp due to the escalation of fighting in the area that has put their staff at risk. The World Food Programme has stopped* the distribution of life-saving food and nutrition assistance in Zamzam camp.”

The UN humanitarian coordinator urged “all those engaged in this conflict to de-escalate and abide by their obligations under the International Humanitarian Law to safeguard civilians and civilian infrastructure, and uphold their responsibilities by using every possible measure to protect civilians.

“Conflict has rules that must be respected by all, no matter what,” she said.

* In response to WFP’s announcement on Wednesday about having to “temporarily pause the distribution of life-saving food and nutrition assistance in the famine-hit camp” due to the ongoing violence, prominent Sudan analyst Eric Reeves, who is also co-chair of Project Zamzam: Famine Relief and Responding to Sexual Violence, yesterday contradicted the UN food agency’s statement. In a report on his website, he said that “there has been no food distribution for months—the last WFP delivery of food to Zamzam was a single convoy in November 2024”.