Yale report finds evidence of RSF mass killings in Sudan’s el-Fasher

According to an analysis of satellite imagery viewed by Yale’s Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL), the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have carried out numerous mass killings against the group since the city’s demise in Sudan.

El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur in western Sudan, was under the control of the RSF for more than a year and a half. Late on Monday, Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan announced the withdrawal of his forces from their final stronghold in the wider Darfur region. The paramilitary RSF had taken control of the main Sudanese army base in el-Fasher and won there, but the RSF later declared victory.

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According to the HRL report, the fall of El-Fasher resulted from “the carpet-bombing of large sahel sahel by the Sudan Armed Forces, an undetermined number of civilian casualties caused by both sides, and almost 15 months of IPC-5 Famine conditions in areas caused by RSF’s siege of the city.” By reviewing satellite imagery and open-source and remote sensing data from Monday, the HRL made the determination.

According to the HRL, “El-Fasher appears to be participating in a deliberate and systematic process of ethnic cleansing of indigenous non-Arab communities in Fur, Zaghawa, and Berti through forced displacement and summary execution.”

The HRL, aid organizations, and experts have previously warned of mass ferocity and displacement in Darfur, and the RSF has long been accused of attacking non-Arab communities.

According to HRL’s report, images of clusters of objects and ground discoloration were uncovered in images that it believes to be of human nature. The HRL appears to support other reports from aid organizations that reported chaotic scenes on the ground, including arrests, hospital attacks, and killings.

The RSF’s actions “may be in line with war crimes and crimes against humanity (CAH)” and “may lead to genocide,” according to the report.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed and more than 12 million have been internally or have been left in Sudan as a result of the RSF and SAF’s conflict, which started on April 15, 2023. More than ten years after South Sudan’s creation, there are also concerns that Sudan could rescind its relationship.