New evidence from space paints a harrowing picture of the aftermath in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur. Analysis of satellite imagery indicates the city has been transformed into a vast crime scene following its capture by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The visuals show numerous large piles of human remains and a network of freshly dug pits, believed to be for mass burials or cremation, pointing to a systematic effort to dispose of bodies on a massive scale.
The city, once home to 1.5 million people, now appears eerily abandoned. Analysts report that bustling markets are desolate and becoming overgrown, while livestock has been removed. The most chilling assessment describes the scene as resembling a “slaughterhouse.”
While the full human cost remains obscured, briefings to international officials suggest a staggering death toll, with estimates starting at tens of thousands killed in a matter of weeks. Furthermore, the whereabouts of up to 150,000 residents remain unknown since the city fell; they are not believed to have fled, leading to grave concerns about their fate.
El Fasher was the Sudanese army’s last major foothold in Darfur and fell after a prolonged siege. The city remains completely sealed off to outside investigators and humanitarian aid organizations, despite pledges from the RSF to grant access. Negotiations for safe passage for aid convoys, which are ready in nearby areas, have so far failed.
The crisis in El Fasher is unfolding within the broader context of a devastating civil war that has ravaged Sudan for over two and a half years. The conflict has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths, displaced millions, and created the world’s most severe humanitarian emergency. Human rights experts now believe the events in El Fasher may constitute the single worst atrocity of the war, which has been marked by widespread ethnic violence and alleged genocide.
Calls are mounting for a comprehensive investigation not only into the current situation in El Fasher but also into a previous RSF assault on a displacement camp near the city months earlier, which a recent report details involved targeting civilians and destroying civilian infrastructure.