Pregnant woman, volunteers killed in RSF Darfur camp attack, SIHA says

April 12, 2025 (NAIROBI) – A pregnant woman and other female volunteers were among more than 112 civilians killed within hours during an attack by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the Zamzam displacement camp in North Darfur, the SIHA Network women’s rights group said on Saturday.

The SIHA Network (Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa) expressed “deep devastation and outrage” over the assault. It reported that RSF forces burned down a women-led community kitchen facility it partnered with and killed volunteers inside.

The group named Hasanat Musa, who was pregnant, and Nana Bahar Idris as among those shot and killed, adding it was working to verify the names of others slain. SIHA also cited “shocking reports” that 20 children were killed cumulatively in the Zamzam and nearby Abu Shouk camps.

The statement acknowledged the killing of nine Relief International health workers in the same attack at Zamzam’s only functioning medical facility, expressing condolences.

SIHA described the assault as part of a “clear and disturbing pattern” by the RSF across Darfur involving the “deliberate targeting of civilian-run service points as a strategy of forced eviction and control.”

“They are part of a systematic effort to dismantle the spaces that provide care, dignity, and survival for displaced communities — forcing civilians either to flee or perish,” the network stated.

SIHA characterised the events as “systemic genocidal acts” linked to decades of conflict in Darfur, alleging they were “enabled by the silence of the international and regional community.”

The group called for the protection of civilians and the “urgent presence” of United Nations and African Union forces on the ground to prevent further atrocities. It emphasized that justice and accountability were crucial for peace and warned against political processes that promote impunity.