At least 11 people died and five others sustained injuries when paramilitary forces attacked a displacement camp in Sudan on Saturday. A regional government official confirmed the casualty figures on Sunday.
Babiker Hamdeen, who serves as the health and social welfare minister in the Darfur Regional Government, announced the details through Sudan’s state news agency SUNA. The assault struck the Hajar Sanakit area located within the Sirba locality of West Darfur state.
Preliminary figures indicate that the majority of those killed and wounded were women and children. Hamdeen condemned the violence as a serious violation of international humanitarian law. He accused the Rapid Support Forces of continuously targeting civilian populations throughout the Darfur region.
The victims had sought refuge at the camp after fleeing their villages near the Sudan-Chad border during the previous year. Fighters belonging to the paramilitary group had burned their homes and looted their property before they escaped, according to the minister.
Hamdeen warned that ongoing international inaction regarding civilian casualties could encourage further violations. He stated that silence from the global community allows perpetrators to avoid accountability for their actions.
Representatives for the Rapid Support Forces did not provide an immediate response to the accusations.
The Sudanese military and the paramilitary group have been engaged in armed conflict since April 2023. The fighting has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, displaced millions of residents, and deepened an already severe humanitarian crisis across the country.
