The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, strongly condemns the targeted attacks on civilians in IDP camps in North Darfur State, Sudan, by RSF forces, which have resulted in over 400 deaths and the displacement of thousands in the past three days. Beginning Thursday with coordinated ground and aerial assaults that continued unabated through Saturday, these operations have systematically destroyed homes, markets, and critical healthcare infrastructure in camps that were established as safe havens.
The brutality of these attacks is particularly unconscionable considering these civilians had previously fled from Al-Fashir city seeking refuge, only to be forced to flee again, many stripped of all possessions and walking barefoot back toward Al-Fashir. Reports document the targeted killing of men attempting to escape, with UNICEF confirming at least 23 children among the dead. Harrowing testimonies from survivors, including children, describe being forced to abandon wounded family members during their desperate flight.
These systematic attacks appear strategically linked to the RSF's military campaign against IDP settlements surrounding El-Fashir as part of their broader offensive to seize the last remaining state capital in Darfur not under their control. Such actions constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law, particularly Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions and customary international humanitarian law, which prohibit deliberate targeting of civilians during armed conflict. The attacks further violate international human rights law enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, and the African Union's Kampala Convention, all of which protect the fundamental rights of displaced persons.
The seizure of Relief International's clinic and the killing of nine humanitarian staff members represents an egregious breach of the special protection afforded to medical personnel and facilities under the Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocols. With Zamzam camp already declared to be experiencing famine and reports indicating the obstruction of humanitarian assistance potentially violating Article 54 of Additional Protocol I, which prohibits starvation as a method of warfare the Centre calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities, unhindered humanitarian access, independent investigation into these atrocities, and accountability for perpetrators under international criminal law, as these actions may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
The Centre calls on the protagonists of the internal armed conflict in Sudan to stop the war and embark on a path to peace which will usher in sustainable development, allow the return to school of 19 million Sudanese children, end the internal displacement of millions of innocent civilians, cease the rape and sexual abuse of women, bring an end to the genocide in Darfur and destruction of the environment and infrastructure.
The African Union and the United Nations should protect the people of Sudan from the atrocities being committed by the warring parties through meaningful interventions in the armed conflict, which has persisted for two years now. The military generals should be brought to the negotiating table for cessation of hostilities and peace talks to prevent further loss of lives and destruction of the Sudanese nation.
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