Fresh satellite imagery from the Darfur city of el-Fasher suggests that mass burials are taking place following the Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF) capture of the city. Analysts from Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab examined images by Colorado-based imaging firm Vantor, revealing two major suspected grave sites- one near a mosque north of the Saudi hospital and another near a former children’s hospital reportedly turned into an RSF prison.
The researchers warned that the true scale of the deaths remains uncertain because those conducting burials often layer bodies within the same grave. The Associated Press (AP), independently reviewing the images, confirmed the visual evidence of recently disturbed soil at both sites- an indicator of large-scale reburials.
Bodies and blood visible from space
Earlier images taken soon after the RSF takeover showed white shapes scattered near the Saudi hospital and the children’s hospital- likely corpses seen alongside visible blood patterns. Witness accounts, online footage, and field reports describe widespread killings following the city’s fall.
The RSF denied responsibility for the deaths at the hospital, but their own videos from the area, while confirming recognisable structures, omit scenes showing fighters among bodies or executing survivors. Additional Planet Labs imagery from late October depicted similar white shapes near a northern berm outside el-Fasher, along with burned vehicles. The Yale lab’s analysis indicates many of these bodies were later removed, suggesting attempts to conceal evidence.
Communication blackout clouds casualty count
The true human toll in el-Fasher remains difficult to determine due to communication outages and ongoing instability. Among the confirmed victims was Dr. Adam Ibrahim Ismail, a local physician reportedly detained and killed by RSF fighters. The Sudan Doctors’ Network called his death a deliberate attack on medical personnel.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has demanded accountability, describing the atrocities as “horrendous.” With burials underway in RSF-controlled zones, investigators may face insurmountable challenges in uncovering direct evidence of war crimes.
Expanding use of drones and widening conflict
The violence in el-Fasher follows a deadly drone strike Monday in el-Obeid, capital of North Kordofan province, that killed at least 40 people. Local sources blamed the RSF, which has increasingly relied on drones during its offensives. The UN’s humanitarian coordination office confirmed widespread casualties and injuries but refrained from attributing responsibility.
Both Kordofan and Darfur have become flash points of Sudan’s ongoing civil war between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces, which erupted in April 2023. The conflict has killed over 40,000 people by UN estimates, though independent aid groups believe the real number is vastly higher.
Deepening humanitarian catastrophe
The war has displaced over 14 million Sudanese, with famine and disease spreading rapidly. Two regions of the country are already facing starvation. The World Food Program’s emergency response director, Ross Smith, noted severe malnutrition and alarming mortality rates among civilians unable to access food or health services.
“We’re seeing very poor food consumption, with families going days without meals,” Smith said, underscoring the link between the conflict and spiraling hunger.
