A research team from Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) has reported findings suggesting attempts to conceal evidence of mass killings in el-Fasher, Sudan. The report indicates that Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) engaged in the disposal of bodies through burial and burning after capturing the city.
Background to the Conflict
The RSF has faced international condemnation following reports of executions and crimes against humanity during its capture of el-Fasher in October. The HRL's analysis of satellite imagery indicates that the RSF likely disposed of a significant number of bodies subsequent to the city's seizure. While the RSF has not issued a direct response to this specific report, its leader previously acknowledged that RSF fighters had committed certain violations in the city.
The HRL's report specifies 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." The RSF has been in an armed conflict with Sudan's regular army since April 2023, following a power struggle that escalated into a civil war. The United Nations (UN) has characterized the conflict as the world's most severe humanitarian crisis.
Satellite Imagery Findings
The RSF captured el-Fasher after an 18-month siege, a strategic gain that removed the army's last significant presence in the Darfur region. The UN was among global entities that accused the RSF of killing civilians during el-Fasher's fall.
The HRL has been monitoring the situation in the city. Its latest report includes new satellite imagery analysis revealing clusters in multiple locations that changed in size in the weeks following el-Fasher's capture. The HRL interprets this as ongoing efforts by the RSF to remove evidence. The imagery also shows over 80 clusters outside the city, which the HRL suggests indicates killings of individuals attempting to flee.
Satellite evidence from November indicates limited civilian activity within the city since its seizure.
RSF Response and Humanitarian Impact
Following international concerns, RSF leader Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo announced an investigation into what he termed violations by his soldiers during the capture of el-Fasher. However, the group has continued to deny widespread allegations that the killings in the city are ethnically motivated, and that Arab paramilitaries have targeted non-Arab populations.
The HRL report follows earlier warnings from aid agencies concerning the low number of civilians who successfully evacuated el-Fasher after the RSF's takeover. The UN estimates approximately 250,000 people remained in the city, with less than half of that number believed to have reached external displacement camps.
The RSF has utilized the capture of el-Fasher to strengthen its position in western Sudan and has established a parallel government in Nyala, Darfur. Sudan's army maintains control over most of the country, with ongoing fighting between the two factions. Over 13 million people are estimated to have been displaced since the conflict began in April 2023.