Recent satellite imagery indicates that widespread atrocities, including mass killings, are likely continuing in and around El-Fasher, Sudan. This alarming assessment comes from Yale researchers, just days after the city was overrun by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The RSF, which has been in conflict with Sudan’s regular army since April 2023, captured El-Fasher on Sunday. This victory ousted the army from its final major stronghold in the western Darfur region, concluding a brutal 18-month siege.
Following the city’s fall, disturbing reports have surfaced detailing summary executions, sexual violence, assaults on aid workers, widespread looting, and abductions. Communication networks in the area remain largely severed, making it difficult to ascertain the full scale of the crisis.
A report released by Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab on Friday, October 31, 2025, stated that new satellite images led them to believe a significant portion of El-Fasher’s population could be “dead, captured, or in hiding.”
Between Monday, October 27, and Friday, October 31, 2025, the lab identified at least 31 separate clusters of objects that appeared consistent with human bodies. These clusters were scattered across various locations, including residential neighborhoods, university campuses, and military sites. The lab explicitly stated that “indicators that mass killing is continuing are clearly visible.”
Eyewitness accounts from survivors who managed to flee El-Fasher and reach the nearby town of Tawila are horrifying. They recounted mass killings, including children being shot in front of their parents, and civilians being subjected to beatings and robberies as they desperately tried to escape.
One such survivor, Ms. Hayat, a mother of five, described how “young men traveling with us were stopped” by paramilitaries during their escape, and “we don’t know what happened to them,” highlighting the immense danger faced by those attempting to flee.
The United Nations has reported that over 65,000 individuals have fled El-Fasher, yet tens of thousands more remain trapped within the city. Before the RSF’s final offensive, the city’s population stood at approximately 260,000.
On Thursday, October 30, the RSF announced the arrest of several fighters accused of committing abuses. However, U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher expressed skepticism regarding the RSF’s genuine commitment to investigate these violations. It’s important to note that both the RSF and the regular army have faced numerous accusations of war crimes throughout the ongoing conflict.
With the capture of El-Fasher, the RSF now exerts complete control over all five state capitals in Darfur. This strategic gain effectively divides Sudan along an east-west axis, leaving the national army in control of the northern, eastern, and central regions.