Satellite imagery and verified videos depict alarming evidence of mass killings in the Darfur region of Sudan. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group, have reportedly taken control of a key city, leading to a surge in violence. The Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) at the Yale School of Public Health has documented numerous clusters of discoloration consistent with human bodies throughout the city as RSF forces advanced. These clusters were observed in various locations, including a hospital, residential neighborhoods, and near military bases of the opposing Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). Nathaniel Raymond, a human rights investigator at HRL, stated that the alleged killings occurred within 72 hours of the RSF seizing control. He noted, "We observed an explosion of objects that measure between 1.3 to 2 meters proliferate all over the ground," which HRL concluded were human bodies based on their size and shape, as well as videos showing systematic civilian killings. In the Daraja Oula neighborhood, where civilians sought refuge, Raymond described a tactical approach by RSF vehicles that aligns with house-to-house killings. He reported that women who escaped to Tawila recounted how RSF forces separated men from women and children, followed by gunfire. The HRL also identified bloodstains around the clusters, further corroborated by the presence of RSF military vehicles nearby. An update from the lab indicated that the number of clusters has increased, with no movement of the original objects. Raymond highlighted reports of executions at the Saudi Hospital, where at least four clusters of bodies were found. He explained, "We see a line of people standing on day one at an RSF detention facility that was formerly a children's hospital. On day two, we see a pile now in the corner consistent with the color and length of those individuals who are standing there in a line on the previous day." Between October 26 and 27, HRL observed multiple clusters on the outskirts of El Fasher, consistent with reports of civilians being killed while attempting to flee. At least six clusters were noted west of the city, along its encircling berm, alongside technical vehicles that were absent in earlier images, suggesting RSF had moved on, leaving behind the bodies. The RSF has also reportedly taken control of SAF military bases in the city. Satellite images from October 26 revealed at least 15 new munition scars and thermal burns at the 6th Division HQ of the SAF, compared to images from October 15. Raymond stated, "We've seen that all of the Sudan Armed Forces vehicles left en masse at about the same time, which is consistent with reports that they escaped in the night in what now appears to be a negotiated deal with the Rapid Support Forces, leaving the civilians in Al-Fasher to die." El Fasher has been isolated for 18 months, described by the UN as the "epicenter of suffering." With RSF forces now inside the city, there is little observable movement of people trying to escape, likely due to the ongoing violence. In January, the U.S. State Department concluded that RSF members had committed genocide in Sudan, particularly in Darfur. Raymond remarked, "What we are seeing is the final battle of the Darfur genocide that began 20 years ago." Compared to previous RSF offensives, such as the one in April at the ZamZam displacement camp, humanitarian observers warn that the new satellite imagery indicates a more systematic approach to killings. Raymond noted, "Here, in the case of El Fasher, what's different? They're not burning the city to the ground. They have the city encircled. They are controlling the entrance and exit. And they are moving pretty systematically, unlike ZamZam. Pretty systematically, block by block. And as they move, we see objects consistent with bodies, often with discoloration, appear." Testimonies from those who fled indicate that men have been separated from women and children, who are now likely in hiding. Raymond cautioned, "It's now going to accelerate. We haven't even hit top velocity. The people that they will kill now are those who are hiding. And they're mostly women and children… Now it'll be those who were too weak to run or those men who were hiding and trying to protect them from the RSF."
Satellite Images Reveal Mass Killings in Darfur, Sudan
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