A Mother's Flight: Heart-Wrenching Escape from Sudan's Zamzam Camp

Thousands of residents of the Zamzam camp in Darfur, already struggling with poverty and displacement, were caught in a devastating assault by paramilitary forces, prompting mothers like Fathiya Mohammed to embark on perilous journeys to seek refuge in Tawila. The horrors faced during their escape highlight the ongoing tragedy of the conflict in Sudan.

As Sudan's Zamzam camp, home to 700,000 internally displaced people, faced a brutal assault last week by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), many families found themselves once again fleeing for their lives. Two decades of conflict characterized by poverty and violence have made these residents vulnerable, and the recent attack shattered any sense of stability they had begun to rebuild.

Fathiya Mohammed, a 28-year-old mother of two, described her harrowing escape from the camp to the BBC. "I was carrying one child on my back, another in my arms, and luggage on my head," she recounted, as she walked barefoot for four days toward Tawila. Tragically, she lost her husband during the chaos and has no knowledge of his whereabouts.

The RSF's campaign to seize the city of el-Fasher from the rival Sudanese army left Zamzam "completely destroyed," in the words of North Darfur Health Minister Ibrahim Khater. Eyewitness accounts reveal ruthless assaults, exacerbated by thieves who preyed upon families during their desperate journey toward safety.

Among those fleeing was Saadiya Adam, whose makeshift home and livestock were burned to the ground. "Everything I owned was burned. I have nothing left," she lamented. Thousands of displaced individuals are now seeking refuge in Tawila, overwhelming medical facilities as reports indicate that over 20,000 people sought treatment in just two days. Hospitals are inundated with gunshot victims, including children.

Tawila hospital staff are now accustomed to the increasing violence; head nurse Tiphaine Salmon noted the routine presence of patients with bullet wounds. Many survivors describe their encounters with RSF fighters, who opened fire indiscriminately. Some, like Hussein Khamis, managed to reach safety despite severe injuries.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported receiving more than 170 injured individuals, with a heartbreaking 40% being women and girls. The organization expressed concern for those left behind, as almost all interviewees reported losing family members during the attack.

Originally established in 2004 to shelter those fleeing ethnic violence in Darfur, Zamzam has become a strategic target for the RSF, which seeks to consolidate control in western Sudan. Ms. Mohammed and others like her are left grappling with the devastation wrought by war, longing for peace. "We want the war to stop,” she said. “Peace is the most important thing.”