'Horrific patterns of violations' seen in RSF's Zamzam camp take over, where over 1,000 civilians killed: UN report

• The world must not sit back and watch as such cruelty becomes entrenched as the order of the day in Sudan,' says UN human rights chief, urging all states to do 'all in their power to prevent atrocities'

GENEVA

A report published Thursday by the UN human rights office documented widespread killings, rape, torture, and abductions committed during a three-day offensive by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the Zamzam internally displaced persons camp in April.

According to the report, at least 1,013 civilians were killed during the attack between April 11 and 13, which it described as "a consistent pattern of serious violations of international humanitarian law and gross violations of international human rights law." Of those killed, 319 were summarily executed, either inside the camp or while attempting to flee, the office said.

The report said some civilians were killed in their homes during house-to-house searches, while others were killed in markets, schools, health facilities, and mosques. More than 400,000 residents were displaced again as a result of the assault on the Zamzam IDP camp.

One surviving community leader described how RSF fighters "inserted their rifles through small holes in the window of the room where he was hiding with 10 other men and opened fire," killing eight people.

A woman searching for her missing 15-year-old son told the office: "The camp was empty. I saw scattered dead bodies on the roads. Only chickens, donkeys and sheep were wandering around." The office noted that she could not find her son that day.

The report also documented conflict-related sexual violence, with at least 104 survivors, including women, girls, and boys, subjected to rape, gang rape, and sexual slavery.

"Sexual violence appears to have been deliberately used to inflict terror among the community," the report said.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said that "such deliberate killing of civilians or persons hors de combat may constitute the war crime of murder," calling for an impartial investigation and accountability.

"These horrific patterns of violations—committed with impunity—are consistent with what my office has repeatedly documented, including during the RSF takeover of El Fasher in late October," Turk said, noting that these findings are yet another "stark reminder" of the need for prompt action to end the cycles of atrocities and violence.

"The world must not sit back and watch as such cruelty becomes entrenched as the order of the day in Sudan. All States, particularly those with influence on the situation, must do all in their power to prevent atrocities," he concluded.