Satellite images expose mass killings in Sudan’s El-Fasher after RSF takeover

The HRL report identified at least six to seven locations across El-Fasher showing dark-red ground discolouration and body-sized objects consistent with human remains. (Image: XHRL_YaleSPH)

New satellite imagery has revealed disturbing evidence of mass killings in El-Fasher, Sudan, days after the city fell to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The images, analysed by Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL), show what appear to be piles of bodies and large bloodstains across several sites in the city, underscoring the scale of the violence that has engulfed Darfur.

According to Reuters, El-Fasher was seized by the RSF on October 26, marking the fall of the Sudanese military’s last major stronghold in western Darfur. The takeover effectively split the country into two zones of control, intensifying fears of a new wave of ethnic violence reminiscent of the 2003–2005 Darfur genocide that left around 300,000 people dead.

🚨HUMAN SECURITY EMERGENCY🚨

Day 2: RSF continues mass killings in El Fasher: @HRL_YaleSPH finds evidence of mass killings at RSF-controlled former Children’s Hospital, Saudi Hospital and along the berm.#KeepEyesOnSudan 🛰️@AirbusSpace@Maxarhttps://t.co/1HApllgNL5pic.twitter.com/g9KmBLhjH0 — Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) at YSPH (@HRL_YaleSPH) October 29, 2025

The HRL report identified at least six to seven locations across El-Fasher showing dark-red ground discolouration and body-sized objects consistent with human remains. In one area, RSF vehicles were seen arranged in formations typical of house-to-house searches, particularly in the Daraja Oula neighbourhood, where many civilians had taken shelter. “Imagery shows objects consistent with human bodies near RSF vehicles,” the report stated, adding that the findings aligned with witness accounts of mass executions.

Further analysis revealed bodies along the city’s outskirts, indicating that some victims were likely killed while trying to flee. Another site, near a hospital, showed large clusters of what appeared to be human bodies — suggesting that at least one massacre occurred inside or close to a medical facility, a grave breach of international humanitarian law.

Eyewitnesses described horrific scenes. Ikram Abdelhameed, who escaped El-Fasher with her children and grandson, told Reuters that RSF fighters opened fire on fleeing civilians. “We were running and they were chasing us, firing missiles ahead and behind us,” she said. “They shot [the men] in front of us, in the street.”

The El-Fasher killings add to a growing list of atrocities linked to the RSF since Sudan’s civil war began in 2023. The United Nations estimates that over 17,000 people have been killed across Darfur, including up to 15,000 in El-Geneina alone. Rights groups accuse the RSF of carrying out systematic sexual violence, including rape, forced marriage, and sexual slavery, as part of a campaign to terrorise non-Arab communities.

Human rights organisations warn that the evidence emerging from El-Fasher points to ethnic cleansing and possibly genocide. With western Sudan now largely under RSF control, international pressure is mounting for an independent investigation and urgent action to prevent further atrocities.