The key facts

  • RSF attack on a displacement camp in West Darfur: 11 killed, 5 wounded
  • Most victims are women and children, according to preliminary data
  • The RSF has not commented on the accusations; the conflict in Sudan has continued since April 2023

Attack on displacement camp

At least 11 people were killed and five others wounded on Saturday in an attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on a displacement camp, Sudan's Minister of Health and Social Welfare in the Darfur government Babiker Hamdin said on Sunday. According to him, the attack took place in the Hajar Sanakit area of the Sirba locality in West Darfur state; the figures are reported by Sudan's state-run news agency SUNA.

Victims and accusations

The minister noted, based on preliminary data, that most of those killed and wounded were women and children. He condemned the attack as a serious violation of international humanitarian law and accused the RSF of repeated attacks on civilians in Darfur. According to Hamdin, the victims of the attack had fled last year from villages near Sudan's border with Chad after, he claimed, RSF fighters burned their homes and looted their property.

Reaction and context

Hamdin warned that continued international inaction in response to attacks on civilians could provoke further violations and allow the perpetrators to escape accountability. The RSF did not immediately comment on the accusations. The Sudanese army and the RSF have been fighting since April 2023; the conflict has, according to available data, claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions, exacerbating an already severe humanitarian crisis.