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3 August 2024 (Port Sudan) – Sudan’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday accused the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of besieging the Darfur regional capital and blocking aid, leading to famine in Darfur’s displaced persons camps.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a group of UN and other aid agencies, declared famine on 1 August in the Zam Zam refugee camp, which houses nearly half a million people displaced by conflict in North Darfur state.
Sudan’s foreign ministry said in a statement that the RSF, which has been fighting Sudanese troops since April, was “responsible for the spread of famine in the Zamzam refugee camp as part of its starvation strategy”.
RSF did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
UN agencies have called on the military-led government to open border crossings with Chad so aid vehicles can reach Darfur. Sudan’s government has rejected the request, saying the crossings could be used to supply weapons to the rapid rescue force.
The RSF has been besieging El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, since April in an attempt to seize control of the city. According to the United Nations, the fighting in El Fasher has killed more than 1,000 people and displaced more than 500,000 people.
On 1 August, the medical charity Doctors Without Borders accused the Rapid Rescue Team of detaining trucks carrying supplies to El Fasher.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said that the RSF continued to attack hospitals, camps and public facilities, violating UN Security Council Resolution 2736, which called for an end to violence in Darfur. The statement further called on the international community to take a “firm stand” against the RSF.
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