A brutal, three-day assault by Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on a displacement camp in North Darfur left more than 1,000 civilians dead in April, a United Nations investigation has concluded. The violence unleashed on the Zamzam camp points to potential war crimes, according to the UN’s top human rights official.

The report, released by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), provides a chilling account of the violence from April 11 to 13. For Kenya and the region, the confirmation of mass atrocities next door raises urgent questions about regional stability and the potential for a new wave of refugees fleeing unimaginable horror.

The investigation, based on interviews with over 155 survivors in eastern Chad, details a systematic campaign of terror. Among the dead, 319 people were summarily executed, either shot in their homes, in the market, or as they tried to flee the carnage. One survivor recounted how RSF fighters fired through the window of a room where he was hiding with ten other men, killing eight of them at random.

A Pattern of Brutality and Abuse

The UN report documents a consistent pattern of gross human rights violations. The violence was not random, with many attacks appearing to be ethnically motivated against communities like the Zaghawa. The Zaghawa are a non-Arab ethnic group residing primarily in Darfur and Chad who have been targeted by Arab militias in the long-running conflict.

The atrocities detailed by the UN include:

• Widespread Sexual Violence: At least 104 survivors, including 75 women and 26 girls, were subjected to rape, gang rape, and sexual slavery.
• Calculated Siege: In the months before the attack, the RSF blockaded the Zamzam camp, cutting off food, water, and aid, forcing some families to eat animal feed to survive.
• Targeting of Civilians: People were killed in schools, mosques, and health facilities, places that should offer sanctuary under international law.

This attack is part of a broader, bloody conflict that erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF, a powerful paramilitary group that evolved from the notorious Janjaweed militias. The fighting has already killed tens of thousands and created the world's largest displacement crisis.

Calls for Justice Amidst Impunity

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, stated that the deliberate killing of civilians could amount to war crimes and demanded accountability. “The world must not sit back and watch as such cruelty becomes entrenched,” Turk insisted, calling for an impartial and effective investigation. His office noted that these horrific violations are consistent with a pattern of RSF atrocities documented elsewhere in Darfur.

The African Union has repeatedly called for a ceasefire and a return to political dialogue, but diplomatic efforts have so far failed to halt the violence. The situation is complicated by accusations of external interference and Kenya's own complex diplomatic relationship with the warring factions.

As the international community grapples with how to respond, the UN's findings serve as a stark reminder of the human cost of the war in Sudan. The call for justice for the victims of Zamzam is now a critical test of global commitment to preventing mass atrocities.