A spokesperson for the Zamzam displacement camp in Sudan’s North Darfur state reported that a militia allied with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) detained 40 aid workers, including staff from the International Relief Organization (IRO), on Sunday, April 27. The aid workers, along with about 50 civilians, were arrested while evacuating toward Tawila, according to camp spokesperson Mohammed Khamis Douda.
The incident follows an April 12 attack attributed to the RSF, which killed nine IRO staff members at the Zamzam camp. The RSF also reportedly seized control of the camp, displacing hundreds of thousands of people.
Douda explained that the evacuation was led by IRO staff who survived the earlier attack, alongside colleagues from El Fasher city. The militia responsible for the arrests is said to be composed of Arab tribes allied with the RSF, who accused the aid workers of assisting Sudanese army officers.
According to Sudan Tribune accusations were made against the RSF, including reports of the killing and mutilation of eight camp residents, the injury of five others, and the abduction of ten individuals attempting to flee toward Tawila.
Douda also criticized the “Founding Alliance Forces,” a coalition that includes the RSF and allied armed groups, for allegedly misleading residents, directing them toward RSF positions where they faced possible arrest or death.
The International Relief Organization has not yet commented on the incident.