Satellite Images Expose 'Slaughterhouse' in Sudanese City El Fasher
A devastating massacre by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan's North Darfur state has left thousands of civilians dead, with satellite images revealing a city transformed into a "massive crime scene". The scale of the atrocity is staggering, with estimates suggesting that as many as 60,000 people may have been killed.
The city of El Fasher, once home to over 1.5 million residents, has become an eerie and desolate place, devoid of life. Satellite images taken by Yale Humanitarian Research Lab director Nathaniel Raymond show marketplaces that were once bustling with activity now empty and overgrown, with livestock having been relocated. The city's streets are filled with massive piles of bodies, awaiting burial in mass graves or cremated in huge pits.
The RSF seized the city six weeks ago, sparking widespread violence and displacement. Despite repeated calls for humanitarian access, El Fasher remains sealed off to outsiders, including UN war crimes investigators. Aid convoys are on standby in nearby towns, waiting for safety guarantees from the RSF, which have refused to allow entry.
Human rights experts believe that El Fasher is likely to be one of the worst war crimes of the Sudanese civil war, which has already claimed over 400,000 lives and displaced almost 13 million people. The conflict has sparked a global humanitarian crisis, with "staggering" levels of malnutrition reported among those who have managed to escape.
The situation is dire, with tens of thousands of residents still unaccounted for. Satellite images reveal incineration and burial pits thought to be used to dispose of large numbers of bodies. The RSF's actions in El Fasher are being investigated by Amnesty International, which has called for a thorough probe into an attack on the Zamzam displacement camp six months ago.
As the world struggles to come to terms with the scale of this atrocity, one thing is clear: justice must be served.
A devastating massacre by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan's North Darfur state has left thousands of civilians dead, with satellite images revealing a city transformed into a "massive crime scene". The scale of the atrocity is staggering, with estimates suggesting that as many as 60,000 people may have been killed.
The city of El Fasher, once home to over 1.5 million residents, has become an eerie and desolate place, devoid of life. Satellite images taken by Yale Humanitarian Research Lab director Nathaniel Raymond show marketplaces that were once bustling with activity now empty and overgrown, with livestock having been relocated. The city's streets are filled with massive piles of bodies, awaiting burial in mass graves or cremated in huge pits.
The RSF seized the city six weeks ago, sparking widespread violence and displacement. Despite repeated calls for humanitarian access, El Fasher remains sealed off to outsiders, including UN war crimes investigators. Aid convoys are on standby in nearby towns, waiting for safety guarantees from the RSF, which have refused to allow entry.
Human rights experts believe that El Fasher is likely to be one of the worst war crimes of the Sudanese civil war, which has already claimed over 400,000 lives and displaced almost 13 million people. The conflict has sparked a global humanitarian crisis, with "staggering" levels of malnutrition reported among those who have managed to escape.
The situation is dire, with tens of thousands of residents still unaccounted for. Satellite images reveal incineration and burial pits thought to be used to dispose of large numbers of bodies. The RSF's actions in El Fasher are being investigated by Amnesty International, which has called for a thorough probe into an attack on the Zamzam displacement camp six months ago.
As the world struggles to come to terms with the scale of this atrocity, one thing is clear: justice must be served.