Satellite imagery analysis reveals widespread evidence of systematic mass killings and body disposal by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in El Fasher, Sudan, following the paramilitary group's capture of the North Darfur state capital in late October, according to a report released this week by Yale University researchers.

The Yale School of Public Health's Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) identified at least 150 "clusters of objects consistent with human remains" in and around El Fasher between Oct. 26, when the RSF claimed to have taken full control of El Fasher, and Nov. 28. They identified the clusters as likely human remains, based on their size, the timing of their appearance, and proximity to reddish ground discoloration that later turned brown, consistent with blood oxidation. In some cases, the RSF's own social media posts corroborated the presence of human remains at the locations.

Researchers documented 38 instances of "reddish discoloration consistent with blood or other bodily fluids," and evidence of ongoing efforts to destroy remains through burning and burial.

The report concludes "to high confidence" that the RSF conducted door-to-door killings in the Daraja Oula neighborhood, the city's last major civilian refuge, and targeted people attempting to flee the city through the earthen barriers, or berms, that had been built around El Fasher during the months-long siege.

The researchers wrote:

HRL assesses that during this time of restricted access, RSF has systematically killed and disposed of a number of objects consistent with human remains likely in the tens of thousands. The evidence presented in this report cannot be used to estimate the number of people who have died, but it can be used to demonstrate that largescale and systematic mass killing and body disposal has occurred and is occurring on a scale that has not ever been seen before in very high resolution commercial satellite imagery analyzed by civilians.

Casualty estimates for El Fasher range widely, but Doctors Without Borders said the low number of survivors reaching safety at nearby displacement camps—roughly 10,000 of an estimated 260,000 people in El Fasher before the assault—suggests most civilians were killed, died, or remain trapped. Citing the Yale analysis, the humanitarian group said observations "point to a catastrophic scenario."

By late November, 38% of the identified body clusters were no longer visible in satellite imagery, suggesting systematic disposal operations, the Yale researchers said.

The findings add to mounting evidence of atrocities in Sudan's civil war, which began in April 2023 when fighting erupted between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces. The RSF has since advanced into the Kordofan region, seizing the strategic Heglig oilfield. Peace efforts have stalled after the Sudanese Armed Forces rejected a US-backed truce proposal in November, calling it biased; the RSF nominally accepted the plan but has continued military operations.

The researchers called on the UN Security Council to immediately secure access to El Fasher for humanitarian assistance and evidence collection, writing:

The international community, including the UN Security Council, must immediately secure access to El-Fasher to provide humanitarian assistance to survivors and to collect whatever evidence of the killing still remains. Time is of the essence for both those still living and for the evidence left by those who have died.

From JURIST, Dec. 17. Used with permission. Internal links added.