Sudanese paramilitary forces attacked a camp for displaced persons in western Sudan’s Darfur region on Friday, killing 25 people, according to a local resistance committee. The attack occurred near El-Fasher, the last regional capital in Darfur still held by the army and a focal point of intensifying clashes.

The assault, carried out in the morning by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), included heavy shelling and gunfire that “targeted the Zamzam displacement camp from the south and east,” according to a statement from the local committee.

This pro-democracy group has been coordinating aid in Sudan since April 15, 2023, when a civil war erupted between two rival generals—one leading the army and the other commanding the paramilitary RSF.

In Geneva, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned Friday of catastrophic consequences for civilians as the conflict approaches its third year.

“Two years of brutal and senseless conflict must serve as a warning to all parties to lay down their arms and for the international community to act,” he said. “Sudan must not continue down this destructive path.”

According to the local resistance committee, 25 civilians—including women and children—were killed in the Zamzam camp on Friday.

Witnesses described scenes of RSF combat vehicles infiltrating the camp under heavy gunfire.

The attackers reportedly faced return fire, but the full extent of the damage remains unclear due to disrupted communications and internet outages.

The attack came a day after RSF bombed the Abu Shouk camp, killing at least 15 civilians and injuring 25 more, according to aid workers.

Since losing control of the capital, Khartoum, in March, the RSF has intensified efforts to complete its takeover of Darfur.

Famine

Densely populated camps around El-Fasher—such as Zamzam—have suffered greatly since the beginning of the war between the army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan (Sudan’s de facto ruler since a 2021 coup), and his former deputy, General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, head of the RSF.

Zamzam, along with Abu Shouk and Al-Salam, is one of the three major camps on the outskirts of El-Fasher.

They are facing famine, which is expected to spread to five other areas in North Darfur, including the capital, according to a UN-supported assessment.

Sudan, Africa’s third-largest country by area, is currently divided.

The army controls much of the East and North, while the RSF dominates most of Darfur in the West and parts of the South.

The war has killed tens of thousands, displaced over 12 million people, and caused what the UN and African Union call the worst recent humanitarian crisis.

Both the army and the paramilitary forces have been accused of committing war crimes.

The UN estimates that nearly 2 million people in Sudan are facing extreme food insecurity, with 320,000 suffering from famine.

The International Committee of the Red Cross also warned Thursday that two-thirds of Sudanese living in conflict zones now lack access to medical care due to the shutdown of most healthcare facilities.

On Thursday, Amnesty International condemned the suffering inflicted on civilians, reporting widespread sexual violence by the RSF, including instances of sexual slavery.

During a hearing at the International Court of Justice, Sudan accused the United Arab Emirates of being “the engine” behind what Khartoum described as “genocide” in Darfur, citing alleged support for the RSF. The UAE has denied the accusations.