A research team from Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) reports that Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has engaged in efforts to conceal mass killings in the city of el-Fasher. This includes burying and burning bodies following the RSF's capture of the city in October.
Allegations and Satellite Analysis
The HRL's analysis of satellite imagery indicates that the RSF likely disposed of bodies after seizing el-Fasher. The report specifically states that the RSF "engaged in a systematic multi-week campaign to destroy evidence of its widespread mass killings" and that this "pattern of body disposal and destruction is ongoing."
Fresh analysis of satellite imagery detected clusters in multiple locations that changed in size in the weeks after el-Fasher fell, which the HRL interprets as continued efforts by the RSF to clear evidence. The images also show over 80 clusters outside the city, which the HRL suggests indicates that individuals were killed while attempting to flee.
Context of the Conflict
The RSF has been in conflict with Sudan's regular army since April 2023, a power struggle that escalated into a civil war. The United Nations (UN) has characterized the conflict as the world's most severe humanitarian disaster.
The RSF captured el-Fasher after an 18-month siege, a development that removed the army from its last significant position in the Darfur region. Following the city's capture, the UN and other international bodies accused the RSF of killing civilians.
RSF Response and Humanitarian Concerns
RSF leader Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo initiated an investigation into what he termed "violations" by his soldiers during the capture of el-Fasher. However, the group has denied allegations that killings in the city are ethnically motivated or target non-Arab populations.
Satellite evidence from November indicates limited civilian activity in el-Fasher since its seizure. Aid agencies have expressed concerns regarding the low number of civilians who successfully evacuated el-Fasher after the RSF took control. The UN estimates approximately 250,000 people remained in the city, with fewer than half believed to have reached external displacement camps.
The RSF has utilized the seizure of el-Fasher to strengthen its position in western Sudan and has established a parallel administrative structure in Nyala, a city in Darfur. Fighting between the RSF and Sudan's army continues, with the army retaining control over most of the country. Since April 2023, more than 13 million people are estimated to have been displaced by the conflict.