Calls for an end to Sudan's information blackout as world leaders meet for talks

Sudan's information blackout has left relatives of people in the Zamzam refugee camp struggling to get news of their safety after it was overrun by paramilitaries at the weekend.

- Kaamil Ahmed

As leaders around the globe prepared to meet today for talks in London to put pressure on backers of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese army to agree a ceasefire, the RSF launched a deadly assault, seizing Zamzam after weeks of tightening its siege.

The UN's migration agency, the IOM, said between 60,000 and 80,000 households had been displaced from Zamzam after the attacks. The medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières said its team at Tawila, another displaced persons camp near El Fasher in Darfur, had seen about 10,000 people arrive in 48 hours suffering from dehydration and exhaustion.

Sudan has grappled with widespread telecoms blackouts since the early months of the war, with both sides alleged to be to blame. Infrastructure such as land-based communications towers has been destroyed or damaged in the fighting.