Space Travel News
AFRICA NEWS
Amnesty urges war crimes probe into Sudan refugee camp attack

Amnesty urges war crimes probe into Sudan refugee camp attack

by AFP Staff Writers
Port Sudan, Sudan (AFP) Dec 3, 2025

Rights group Amnesty International said Wednesday that a large-scale attack by Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces on a refugee camp earlier this year "must be investigated for war crimes".

The RSF, fighting Sudan's army since April 2023, "deliberately killed civilians, took hostages, pillaged and destroyed mosques, schools and health clinics" during its April attack on Zamzam, the largest refugee camp in North Darfur, Amnesty said.

The assault was part of the paramilitary force's push to seize the city of El-Fasher, the army's last stronghold in western Darfur, which the RSF captured in late October amid reports of more mass killings, sexual violence, abductions and looting.

Amnesty's findings draw on interviews with 29 survivors, journalists and medical staff, alongside verified footage and satellite imagery.

"The RSF's horrific and deliberate assault on desperate, hungry civilians in Zamzam camp laid bare once again its alarming disregard for human life," said Agnes Callamard, Amnesty International's secretary general.

According to the rights group, RSF fighters attacked the camp over a period of three days, using explosive weapons and firing indiscriminately in densely populated areas, committing acts that "may amount to the war crimes of rape, murder and pillage".

The UN said the assault displaced around 400,000 people in just two days, from a camp estimated to house at least half a million.

Amnesty documented dozens of killings of civilians hiding in homes, at a clinic and inside a mosque.

Satellite imagery analysed by the organisation shows multiple fresh craters across residential districts, consistent with heavy shelling.

One survivor, an NGO volunteer, said RSF fighters would drive through her neighbourhood "and just shoot around and shoot anyone in the street".

"The only way to end these violations is to stem the flow of arms," said Callamard, calling for an expansion of an existing Darfur arms embargo to encompass all of Sudan.

The organisation also said all arms shipments to the United Arab Emirates "must immediately cease", due to "the very high risk of diversion to the RSF".

UN experts, diplomats and organisations including Amnesty have reported the UAE's extensive military backing of the RSF, which Abu Dhabi denies.

At the time, the RSF rejected claims of targeting civilians in Zamzam as "false".

Both sides in Sudan's war have been accused of indiscriminate attacks, with the RSF specifically accused of ethnically motivated killings, sexual violence and looting.

The wider conflict has killed tens of thousands and displaced nearly 12 million people.

Related Links
Africa News - Resources, Health, Food

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
AFRICA NEWS
Bitterness, disappointment grip Bissau-Guineans after coup
Bissau (AFP) Nov 27, 2025
Mohamed Sylla and his friends fled as fast as they could when gunshots rang out near Guinea Bissau's presidential palace Wednesday, marking yet another coup in the restive West African country. As always, the five friends had arrived at the main marketplace of Guinea-Bissau's capital early that morning, setting up stalls to sell soap, body lotion and food. They had expected a normal day, but heavy gunfire suddenly erupted near the presidential palace in the city centre, driving shockwaves of fea ... read more

AFRICA NEWS
AFRICA NEWS
Second CHAPEA Crew Begins Extended Mars Habitat Mission at NASA Johnson

Martian dust devils found to generate electrical sparks

NASA Orbiter Shines New Light on Long-Running Martian Mystery

ESCAPADE spacecraft capture first images while en route to Mars

AFRICA NEWS
NASA backs dust tolerant wireless power links for Moon and Mars vehicles

Lunar dust model highlights risks for spacecraft and future moon base projects

Chinese experiment tests lunar construction bricks after space exposure

Water ice detection campaign prepares lunar robots for Moon mission

AFRICA NEWS
Looking inside icy moons

Saturn moon mission planning shifts to flower constellation theory

Could these wacky warm Jupiters help astronomers solve the planet formation puzzle?

Out-of-this-world ice geysers on Saturn's Enceladus

AFRICA NEWS
The bacteria that wont wake up found in spacecraft cleanrooms

Machine learning tool distinguishes signs of life from non-living compounds in space samples

Moss spores withstand long term exposure outside space station

Water production on exoplanets revealed by pressure experiments

AFRICA NEWS
LandSpace ZQ 3 Y1 rocket reaches orbit on first reusable flight attempt

SyLEx test rocket gives France new suborbital launch option

South Korea advances Nuri rocket program with fourth orbital launch

AtSpace A01 reaches record suborbital altitude from Koonibba Test Range

AFRICA NEWS
China consolidates new commercial space regulator and industry roadmap

Beijing space lab targets orbital data centers for AI era

Successful launch preparations underway for Shenzhou XXII resupply mission

China launches Shenzhou-22 early for stranded space station crew

AFRICA NEWS
OSIRIS-APEX spacecraft completes Earth flyby on its journey to explore Apophis

40 000 near-Earth asteroids discovered!

Lunar impactor Theia originated near Earth and Sun analysis reveals

ESA pinpoints 3I/ATLAS's path with data from Mars

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.