Satellite Images Reveal Suspected Mass Graves Near Mosque and Children’s Hospital in Sudan’s El-Fasher By The Media Line Staff New satellite imagery released this week indicates that large-scale burials are taking place in Sudan’s Darfur region, following the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF) seizure of the city of EL Fasher. Analysts say the evidence suggests mass graves […]
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The Media Line: Satellite Images Reveal Suspected Mass Graves Near Mosque and Children’s Hospital in Sudan’s El-Fasher
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Satellite Images Reveal Suspected Mass Graves Near Mosque and Children’s Hospital in Sudan’s El-Fasher
By The Media Line Staff
New satellite imagery released this week indicates that large-scale burials are taking place in Sudan’s Darfur region, following the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF) seizure of the city of EL Fasher. Analysts say the evidence suggests mass graves have been dug near a mosque and a former children’s hospital, both sites linked to reports of killings during the RSF assault.
Images captured by the Colorado-based satellite firm Vantor and reviewed by the Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab show trenches being dug and later covered at two distinct locations in El Fasher. One site lies beside a mosque north of the Saudi hospital, where nearly 460 people were reported killed. The other is adjacent to a former children’s hospital reportedly converted into an RSF detention center.
Researchers said the imagery indicates repeated digging and refilling of large plots of ground, consistent with mass burial practices. They cautioned, however, that satellite analysis cannot determine the number of bodies buried. Earlier images revealed white objects and visible blood stains near the same hospital compounds, which the Yale lab identified as likely human remains.
The Associated Press, which reviewed additional imagery from Planet Labs, confirmed color changes in the soil at the two suspected grave sites. The AP also verified that footage released by the RSF from inside El Fasher matched identifiable structures at the hospitals but avoided areas where bodies were previously visible in social media videos.
Testimonies from survivors describe RSF fighters executing civilians and medical staff, including Dr. Adam Ibrahim Ismail, who was reportedly detained and killed during the incursion. The Sudan Doctors’ Network called his death part of a campaign of violence targeting healthcare workers.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called for accountability mechanisms to investigate what he described as “horrendous crimes.” However, human rights experts warn that evidence may be lost as the bodies are buried and the RSF consolidates control.
The war between Sudan’s armed forces and the RSF has raged since April 2023, killing more than 40,000 people and displacing millions. Aid agencies say famine and disease are spreading rapidly as humanitarian access to Darfur and other conflict zones remains severely restricted.