El Fasher, April 8(Darfur 24)
Dozens of families left Zamzam camp and El Fasher city in North Darfur state for the Tawila area, under the protection of forces from the Rapid Support Forces, the Sudan Liberation Movement – Transitional Council, and the Sudan Liberation Forces Gathering, also known as Tassis.
The senior management of Zamzam IDP camp and the joint force objected to calls for the displaced people IDPs to leave the camp and El Fasher. The Sudan Liberation Movement – Transitional Council, led by Al-Hadi Idris, and the Sudan Liberation Forces Gathering, led by Al-Tahir Hajar, expressed their willingness to provide safe corridors for civilians to leave.
A video verified by Darfur 24 documented the departure of dozens of families on Monday morning in trucks from El Fasher and Zamzam heading to the town of Tawila.
The video showed field commanders, including Anwar Al-Quba of the Rapid Support Forces RSF , Ahmed Abu Tenga of the Sudan Liberation Forces Gathering, and Ahmed Gedo of the Sudan Liberation Movement – Transitional Council taking part in the operation.
Addressing the participating forces, Anwar al-Qubba said that the goal of these efforts is to organize the exit of civilians and ensure their safety by securing the road and renting commercial trucks to transport them from combat zones to safe areas, covering their travel costs.
Eyewitnesses told Darfur 24 that civilians voluntarily left El Fasher and Zamzam camp, a distance of more than 10 kilometers, before being regrouped, transported by truck, and the road to Tawila town was secured for the protection forces.
In this context, the Sudan Founding Alliance (Ta’ssis) announced a broad response from civilians and displaced persons in El Fasher and the surrounding camps to its calls for the evacuation of military contact areas, to preserve the lives and safety of residents.
In a statement published on its official Facebook page, a copy of which was received by Darfur 24, the alliance explained that its forces continue, for the second consecutive day, to receive and secure hundreds of civilians fleeing the areas of clashes, most of whom are women, children, and the elderly.
He added that these people are being transferred from the city’s outskirts to safer areas, with temporary shelter and urgent humanitarian supplies provided.
The displacement of citizens from El Fasher and Zamzam follows a military buildup by Rapid Support Forces near the city, amid expectations of a large-scale attack within a short period.
El Fasher is experiencing a dire humanitarian situation due to the severe shortage of food supplies as a result of the siege imposed by the Rapid Support Forces on the city since April 2024.
Shelters for the displaced
Eyewitness Najm al-Din Muhammad Suleiman told Darfur 24 that the number of displaced people is increasing daily due to the deteriorating living conditions and lack of basic commodities, amidst the escalating artillery shelling of the city and camps by the Rapid Support Forces.
He pointed out that the displaced people rely on donkey carts or obliged to walk on rough roads, especially from the western entrance of Zamzam IDP camp, on journeys that take several days to reach Tawila.
Zakia Ibrahim Ahmed, a displaced person from Zamzam camp, recounted her ordeal in reaching the Tawila area. She told Darfur 24 that she and her children made the journey over five days using donkey carts, taking side roads to avoid looting.
She added that they slept in the open and ate only one meal a day. Another eyewitness, who preferred to remain anonymous, told Darfur 24 that there is a growing desire among IDPs to leave the camps for safer areas, despite attempts by some local administrations to calm the situation and dissuade them from leaving for fear of attacks during displacement.
He explained that hundreds of IDPs, including women, children, and the elderly, left Zamzam camp during the Eid al-Fitr holiday, heading for the neighboring areas of Tawila and Shangil Tobay.
The spokesperson for the Darfur Displaced Persons and Refugees Coordination Office had previously indicated that approximately 80 families had left Tawila due to the deteriorating humanitarian situation, water shortages, rising food prices, and the siege imposed on El Fasher and Zamzam camp.
Tawila, a town in North Darfur, along with Rorkoro, Golo, and Darbat in Jebel Marra, which is under the control of the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdel Wahid al-Nur, has been one of the safest centers receiving IDPs since the outbreak of the conflict in April 2023, with thousands taking refuge there to escape the ongoing fighting .