Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has called for an immediate end to the siege and atrocities in Sudan’s El Fasher city, urging safe humanitarian access and protection for civilians wishing to flee.
In a Friday press release, MSF said thousands of people had fled to El Fasher after the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) destroyed the Zamzam displacement camp. Trapped in the city, they remain cut off from aid and face continued attacks and mass violence.
“If roads to El Fasher are blocked, air operations must be launched to deliver food and medicines to the estimated one million people trapped there and starving,” the statement said.
MSF reported that RSF and allied armed groups stormed Zamzam camp—once home to at least 500,000 people—after months of tightening siege. By April 16, the largely destroyed camp was reportedly under RSF control.
Most of Zamzam’s displaced are believed to have fled to El Fasher, where they remain stranded without aid and under threat of further violence.
Between April 12 and 15, MSF teams in Tawila reportedly saw over 25,000 arrivals from Zamzam and nearby areas. Displaced people continue to arrive sporadically, facing extreme danger en route.
MSF has set up a health post at Tawila’s entrance, providing water, nutrition, and medical care to new arrivals. Critical cases are referred to a local hospital, where MSF has worked since October 2023.
Horrific accounts from Zamzam suggest hundreds were killed, with fighters going door-to-door, shooting civilians, and burning shelters. Among the casualties were 11 staff members from Relief International, which ran the camp’s last remaining clinic after MSF suspended operations in February due to escalating violence.
MSF urged RSF and all armed groups to protect civilians and ensure safe passage for those fleeing.
The UN and observers have repeatedly warned of mass killings and ethnic violence in El Fasher and nearby camps, largely housing non-Arab Zaghawa and Fur communities, while RSF fighters are predominantly from Arab tribes.