Satellite Imagery Detects Possible Mass Graves in Sudan's El-Fasher
New satellite images reveal activity consistent with mass graves in the city of El-Fasher, following reports of mass killings by paramilitary forces.
PORT SUDAN: New satellite imagery has detected activity "consistent with mass graves" in the Sudanese city of El-Fisher, according to a report by Yale researchers.
The findings come more than a week after mass killings were reported in the area.
On October 26, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized control of the key Darfur city they had besieged for nearly 18 months.Satellite imagery has since revealed evidence of door-to-door killings, mass graves, blood-stained areas, and bodies visible along an earthen berm — findings that match eyewitness accounts and videos posted online by the paramilitaries.
The Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) report identified "at least two earth disturbances consistent with mass graves" at a mosque and the former Children's Hospital.
It also noted meters-long trenches and the disappearance of clusters of objects indicating bodies were moved around the city.The World Health Organization reported the "tragic killing of more than 460 patients and medical staff" at Al-Saudi Hospital during the city’s takeover.
The HRL stated that it is not possible to determine the number of bodies in mass graves due to the layering of bodies.
Fresh imagery from the former children's hospital, which has been turned into a detention site, suggests ongoing mass killings.Before El-Fisher's fall, the HRL only observed individual burials in areas controlled by either the RSF, Sudanese army, or their allies.
Since the city’s capture, at least 34 object groups consistent with bodies visible in satellite imagery have been identified, which is believed to be an underestimate of the overall scale of killing.The conflict in Sudan, which has been ongoing since April 2023, pits the forces of army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan against those of his former deputy, RSF commander Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo.
The violence has affected not only El-Fisher but also spread to Kordofan region, remaining under army control.With access blocked and communications severely disrupted, satellite imagery remains one of the few means to monitor the crisis unfolding in Sudan’s isolated regions.
The findings come more than a week after mass killings were reported in the area.
On October 26, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized control of the key Darfur city they had besieged for nearly 18 months.Satellite imagery has since revealed evidence of door-to-door killings, mass graves, blood-stained areas, and bodies visible along an earthen berm — findings that match eyewitness accounts and videos posted online by the paramilitaries.
The Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) report identified "at least two earth disturbances consistent with mass graves" at a mosque and the former Children's Hospital.
It also noted meters-long trenches and the disappearance of clusters of objects indicating bodies were moved around the city.The World Health Organization reported the "tragic killing of more than 460 patients and medical staff" at Al-Saudi Hospital during the city’s takeover.
The HRL stated that it is not possible to determine the number of bodies in mass graves due to the layering of bodies.
Fresh imagery from the former children's hospital, which has been turned into a detention site, suggests ongoing mass killings.Before El-Fisher's fall, the HRL only observed individual burials in areas controlled by either the RSF, Sudanese army, or their allies.
Since the city’s capture, at least 34 object groups consistent with bodies visible in satellite imagery have been identified, which is believed to be an underestimate of the overall scale of killing.The conflict in Sudan, which has been ongoing since April 2023, pits the forces of army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan against those of his former deputy, RSF commander Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo.
The violence has affected not only El-Fisher but also spread to Kordofan region, remaining under army control.With access blocked and communications severely disrupted, satellite imagery remains one of the few means to monitor the crisis unfolding in Sudan’s isolated regions.
