Satellite images reveal ongoing massacres in western Sudan

Researchers at Yale University said new satellite imagery indicates ongoing mass killing operations in and around the city of El-Fasher in western Sudan, days after the RSF seized control of the area.

The RSF took control of El-Fasher on Sunday, the last stronghold of the Sudanese army in the Darfur region, which covers one-third of Sudan’s territory, following an 18-month siege. This comes in the context of a war that began in April 2023 between the army, led by Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, and the RSF, led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

Since the city fell, testimonies have emerged describing field executions, sexual violence, attacks on aid workers, and widespread looting and abductions, while communications remain largely cut off.

Yale’s Humanitarian Research Lab reported on Friday that the images show evidence suggesting a large portion of the city's population “has been killed, detained, or is in hiding.”

Researchers identified at least 31 locations containing objects believed to be human bodies between Monday and Friday, in residential neighborhoods, a university campus, and military sites.

The report added that “indicators of ongoing mass killing are clearly visible.”

Survivors arriving in the nearby town of Tawila reported massacres, including the shooting of children in front of their families, along with beatings and looting of civilians fleeing the violence.

Hayat, a mother of five who fled El-Fasher, said, “The young men traveling with us were stopped by armed men on the road, and we don’t know what happened to them.”

According to the United Nations, more than 65,000 people have fled El-Fasher, while tens of thousands remain trapped, out of roughly 260,000 residents before the latest attack.

The RSF announced on Thursday that it had detained several of its members accused of abuses, but UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher questioned the seriousness of the group’s commitment to accountability.

Both the army and the RSF have been accused of committing crimes and acts of violence during the war, now in its second year.

RSF control over El-Fasher grants it full authority over the five capitals of the Darfur region, effectively dividing Sudan along an east-west axis, with the army retaining control over the north, east, and central regions.

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ANHA