As Sudan’s civil war marks its third year, the United Nations has reported that 13 million people have been displaced due to the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
“The conflict has provoked the displacement of 13 million people, including 8.6 million internally displaced people and 3.8 million refugees,” Abdourahouf Gnon-Konde of the UN refugee agency told AFP on Monday.
Since the war broke out on April 15, 2023, it has claimed tens of thousands of lives, pushed parts of the country to the brink of famine, and fragmented Sudan into territories controlled by rival warlords.
As the second anniversary of the war approached, the fighting escalated in Darfur, where the RSF launched an aggressive campaign to seize El-Fasher — the last major city in western Sudan still held by government forces.
The latest offensive began last Thursday and continued through Sunday morning, with intense attacks on El-Fasher and its surrounding displacement camps, including Zamzam and Abou Shouk — both of which are already grappling with famine.
According to the UN, citing “credible sources,” more than 400 people were killed in the recent wave of violence.
By Sunday, RSF forces claimed they had taken control of Zamzam camp.
The UN’s International Organization for Migration reported that approximately 400,000 people have since fled the camp due to the renewed fighting.
Medical humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders revealed that nearly 10,000 individuals sought refuge in Tawila — located about 70 kilometres (43 miles) west of El-Fasher — within just two days.
The organization said the displaced civilians, primarily women and children, arrived “in an advanced state of dehydration and exhaustion and reporting horrific violence”.
