Attack, fire at North Darfur’s Zamzam camp

Two displaced of Zamzam camp, near El Fasher, capital of North Darfur, were seriously injured in an attack by militiamen on Thursday. On the same day, one of the camp schools was destroyed by a fire.

“Three government-backed militiamen assaulted displaced workers near the water station of Zamzam camp, while they were refuelling the water engines” a resident of the camp reported to Radio Dabanga.

“They beat them with batons. Omda Mohamed Arja sustained a skull fracture, and Mohamed Adow’s hand was broken. They were taken to El Fasher Teaching hospital for treatment.”

The source said that a “local rescue team formed by Zamzam camp residents and the police chased the perpetrators”. “They managed to capture two of them north of the camp after their vehicle broke down.”

He added that a fire that broke out in the camp’s Muhajariya district at about 1:30 am, destroyed six class rooms and three offices. “It is the second time within a week that a school burns down. Seven days ago a fire at El Salam School in Zamzam camp Block 19 consumed seven class rooms and offices. The causes of the fires are unclear.”

Hosting more than 150,000 residents, the Zamzam camp is one of the largest camps in Darfur.