USAID Holds RSF Responsible for Halting Humanitarian Aid in Zamzam Camps

Washington – Sudanhorizon

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has held the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) accountable for halting international humanitarian aid to displaced persons in Zamzam camps. This comes after the RSF shelled the area this week, forcing relief agencies to suspend life-saving services for more than half a million people already facing famine, a dire situation confirmed since August this year.
USAID Administrator Samantha Power expressed her dismay, stating that such incidents are becoming recurrent. She noted, “Just last week, RSF attacks on Zamzam, the largest displaced persons camp in North Darfur, killed at least eight people and injured many others. This forced relief agencies to suspend life-saving services for over half a million people who have been in a state of famine since August.”
Power also highlighted that in addition to the attacks on Zamzam, a military airstrike in North Darfur this week targeted a market, killing more than 100 people and injuring hundreds more, including women and girls. The main hospital in El-Fasher was also bombed.
“I am outraged by these latest acts of violence against civilians who have endured over 18 months of conflict. For many, these events are just the latest in a long history of trauma,” she said.
The statement emphasized that the conflict, atrocities, and systematic destruction of villages and livelihoods based on ethnic grounds have displaced over 12 million civilians. Millions remain without shelter or access to essential life-saving services in camps within Sudan and neighbouring countries.
Power warned that “attacking displacement camps is unacceptable and may constitute additional war crimes in a conflict that has created the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.”
She acknowledged recent progress in improving humanitarian access, including Sudanese authorities’ decision to allow UN humanitarian flights, increase the movement of humanitarian convoys, and establish aid hubs within Sudan to bring assistance closer to vulnerable populations. However, she stressed the need for further cooperation in this regard.
The situation in Sudan, marked by repeated RSF assaults and the resulting humanitarian crisis, remains a critical concern for international agencies and governments worldwide.