Importance Score: 85 / 100 🟢
Sudan Information Blackout: Relatives Desperate for News from Overrun Zamzam Refugee Camp
Families of residents in Sudan’s Zamzam refugee camp are facing immense distress due to a near-total information blackout, leaving them struggling to confirm the safety of their loved ones after the camp was overrun by militiamen over the weekend. The assault on Zamzam camp, a large settlement for displaced people in Darfur, Sudan, has triggered a fresh wave of displacement and deepened the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
RSF Assault on Zamzam Camp
As global leaders convened in London for peace talks aimed at pressuring international backers of both the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese army to agree to a ceasefire, the RSF initiated a devastating attack. After weeks of intensifying its siege, the RSF ultimately seized Zamzam refugee camp, a strategic location in the conflict.
Mass Displacement and Humanitarian Concerns
The International Organization for Migration (IOM), the UN’s migration agency, reported that between 60,000 and 80,000 households have been displaced from Zamzam in the wake of these recent attacks. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the medical charity, stated that their team in Tawila, another camp for displaced persons near El Fasher in Darfur, has witnessed approximately 10,000 individuals arriving within a 48-hour period, many suffering from severe dehydration and exhaustion.
Calls to Restore Communications Amid Violence Reports
Advocacy groups emphasize that the lack of information regarding the violence, which has reportedly resulted in the deaths of hundreds of civilians, underscores the urgent need for the London talks to prioritize the restoration of communications infrastructure. Establishing reliable communication networks is crucial to enable communities under attack to alert each other, improve access to essential healthcare services, and facilitate vital human rights documentation efforts.
Eyewitness Account of Atrocities
Altahir Hashim, whose family resided in Zamzam, described the dire situation: “Zamzam, as an IDP camp, no longer exists. The RSF has completely overrun the camp – engaging in killings, sexual violence, arson, and committing all forms of atrocities. Communications are severely disrupted, and I have been unable to contact my family.”
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Satellite imagery showing damage to Zamzam camp after the RSF attack.
Aid Workers Among Victims
Tragically, on Friday, nine medical workers affiliated with the aid organization Relief International were killed during an RSF raid on Zamzam. Furthermore, the Sudanese American Physicians Association (Sapa) reported the death of the manager of a children’s health center in the camp.
Zamzam’s History and Current Crisis
For two decades, Zamzam has provided refuge for individuals displaced during the conflicts of the 2000s, perpetrated by the army and the Janjaweed militias, who later became formalized as the RSF. However, the camp’s population has swelled to approximately 700,000 during the current civil war as people flee other volatile regions of Darfur.
Efforts to Break the Information Blockade
Hashim is part of a diaspora group of Darfuris who have been raising funds to procure and airdrop satellite phones into Darfur, as well as walkie-talkies to facilitate local communication during emergencies. These efforts are aimed at circumventing the communications blackout imposed in the region.
Impact on Financial Aid
He further emphasized that the communications blackout also impedes the ability of people to receive financial assistance sent by relatives overseas through mobile banking systems, exacerbating the humanitarian challenges faced by those in Zamzam and surrounding areas.
Limited Information via Satellite
The scarce information emerging from Zamzam often relies on satellite communications, including satellite imagery, satellite phones, and the Starlink service, which utilizes satellites to provide internet access, bypassing land-based communication towers. These technologies are proving critical in a region facing a near-total information blackout.
Challenges of Satellite Communication
However, these satellite services can be unreliable and expensive, limiting their accessibility. While some activists in Darfur utilize them, many others remain unreachable, highlighting the persistent challenges in establishing consistent communication.
People who fled Zamzam camp seek refuge near Tawila.
Videos Depicting Flight and Atrocities
A video shared by the North Darfur Observatory for Human Rights depicted individuals fleeing Zamzam with their belongings loaded onto camels and donkeys, illustrating the mass exodus from the camp.
RSF Videos as Information Source
Disturbingly, a primary source of information originating from Darfur has been videos recorded by RSF fighters themselves, documenting atrocities. Some videos have surfaced showing RSF fighters entering Zamzam on pickup trucks equipped with heavy machine guns, with buildings ablaze in the background, painting a grim picture of the situation.
Urgent Need for Communication Restoration
Shayna Lewis, from the US-based organization Preventing & Ending Mass Atrocities (Paema), stated, “We have reports of civilians being hunted and executed in the streets of Zamzam, but we are unable to consistently communicate with people as networks are down and internet access is limited to sporadic Starlink access points. Starlink access is unreliable, costly, and can be disabled by warring factions at will.”
Prioritizing Communication in Peace Talks
Paema asserts that the talks in London should prioritize restoring communications as a crucial step to immediately alleviate suffering in Sudan and ensure aid can reach those in need.
Final Message from Medical Teams
Sapa, which operates medical facilities in El Fasher, reported that the last message received from its teams in Zamzam on Sunday afternoon was: “Zamzam under the control of the RSF,” marking a significant shift in the camp’s status.
Human Rights Documentation Impeded
Khalid Mishain, from the Sudanese human rights group Youth Citizens Observers Network, confirmed that they have lost contact with their observers in the area since the attack. He emphasized that the communications blackout has been a significant obstacle to human rights documentation efforts throughout the conflict.
Risks Faced by Information Gatherers
“People are forced to write down information, keep it concealed, and then secretly travel to areas with communications to transmit it to us,” explained Mishain, highlighting the dangerous measures individuals are taking to share critical updates.
Civilian Suffering in the Dark
“We have civilians suffering immensely, and the world is largely unaware due to the communications blackout, and those who attempt to report on the situation risk their lives because of this lack of communication,” Mishain concluded, underscoring the grave consequences of the information void.