Satellite images show suspected mass graves in Sudan's El-Fasher
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New satellite imagery reveals suspected mass graves and signs of mass killings in El-Fasher, Sudan, as the Rapid Support Forces tighten their grip in the ongoing Sudan civil war.
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This picture, taken on September 1, 2023 shows a view of destruction in a livestock market area in al-Fasher, the capital of Sudan's North Darfur state. (AFP)
New satellite imagery has revealed activity “consistent with mass graves” in the city of El-Fasher, as the Sudan civil war intensifies, according to a report released Thursday by researchers at Yale University.
On October 26, the Rapid Support Forces seized control of El-Fasher, a strategic city in the Darfur region, following an 18-month-long siege. The RSF, engaged in a prolonged war with Sudan's army since April 2023, have since been implicated in a wave of killings during their takeover.
According to the report by Yale’s Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL), satellite images indicate scenes of door-to-door killings, blood-stained grounds, visible bodies near earthen berms, and evidence of body disposal activities.
Read more: El Fasher survivors share harrowing stories of siege, starvation
Satellite imagery points to mass graves in El-Fasher
The HRL identified at least two earth disturbances interpreted as mass graves, one located at a mosque and another at the former Children's Hospital. Metres-long trenches and the disappearance of body-like objects around both sites suggest that remains were later moved or buried.
Fresh images taken after El-Fasher's fall reveal more disturbing developments, particularly near the former children's hospital, now repurposed as a detention site by the Rapid Support Forces. According to the report, the findings point to the likelihood of ongoing mass killings.
“Body disposal or removal was also observed at Al-Saudi Hospital in satellite imagery,” the report stated. The World Health Organization had earlier confirmed the killing of more than 460 patients and medical staff at that hospital during the RSF’s advance.
The HRL emphasized that determining the number of bodies from satellite imagery remains difficult, noting that those responsible for mass burials often layer bodies within single grave sites.
Read more: RSF shells mosque shelter in El-Fasher, killing 13 displaced civilians
Humanitarian concerns grow as conflict escalates in Sudan
The researchers reported observing “at least 34 object groups consistent with bodies” visible via satellite since El-Fasher's capture. However, they stressed this likely underrepresents the actual number of casualties.
Before the city fell, only traditional, individual burials were observed in zones controlled by either the Rapid Support Forces, the Sudanese army, or affiliated groups. The shift in burial patterns suggests a dramatic escalation in violence.
The Sudan civil war, now in its third year, pits the forces of army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan against those led by Rapid Support Forces commander Mohammed Hamdan Daglo. El-Fasher was the army’s final stronghold in Darfur, and its fall has widened the scope of the conflict, with clashes spreading into the Kordofan region, which remains under military control.
With media access blocked and communication lines disrupted across much of Sudan, satellite imagery has become one of the only remaining tools for monitoring the situation in the country’s most isolated regions.
