Satellite images reveal possible mass graves in El-Fasher, Sudan

Thursday 06 November 2025 - 13:00

By: Sahili Aya

Satellite images reveal possible mass graves in El-Fasher, Sudan

Satellite imagery analyzed by Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) has revealed evidence of “body disposal activities” in the Sudanese city of El-Fasher, now under the control of paramilitary forces. The report indicates traces consistent with mass graves near a mosque and a former children’s hospital. The findings add to mounting reports of atrocities committed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since their takeover of the city on October 26, 2025.

According to the United Nations, the fall of El-Fasher — a key city in Sudan’s Darfur region — has been followed by massacres, sexual violence, looting, and mass displacement of civilians. Eyewitness accounts and videos shared by RSF fighters on social media have corroborated these claims, depicting scenes of brutality and chaos in a region largely cut off from the outside world.

The HRL’s analysis shows the appearance of trenches and the disappearance of previously identified bodies, suggesting systematic attempts to conceal evidence. The report also identifies mass grave-like sites around the Saudi Hospital of El-Fasher, where the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that more than 460 civilians and medical staff were killed in late October, particularly in the maternity ward.

Satellite data further suggests an ongoing massacre at the former children’s hospital, which has reportedly been turned into a detention site by the RSF. Researchers also noted signs of “removal of objects consistent with human remains” near the defensive berm constructed by the paramilitaries surrounding the city.

Before El-Fasher fell, satellite observations had only shown individual burials, consistent with traditional practices. Now, analysts have identified at least 34 groups of objects consistent with human bodies in different parts of the city.

The conflict between the Sudanese army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, commanded by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, erupted in April 2023. While violence continues across Darfur, the current fighting has shifted to the Kordofan region, a strategic zone linking the capital Khartoum — under army control — and Darfur, held by the paramilitaries.