Satellite Images Unveil Horrifying Massacres on Sudanese Soil
- Caresse Liang
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
By: CARESSE LIANG / STAFF WRITER
On Oct. 26, satellite images from space revealed shocking evidence of violent massacres in El-Fasher, the capital of Sudan’s Darfur region, showing numerous bodies scattered across the city. Under the 500-day siege from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), El-Fasher is now left uncovered by the last functioning health facility—the Saudi maternity hospital.
The disturbing photos, captured by the Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) at the Yale School of Public Health, show what appear to be human bodies lying on the streets, surrounded by pools of dried blood. The images, being “consistent with the appearance of human bodies across the city,” suggest a coordinated and violent attack on the civilians in the area.
After 48 hours from the first photo releases, the research lab alleged that there was “a large-scale mass killing” from numerous residential areas around the city, more notably the former Children’s Hospital and the Saudi Hospital in the area.
Under close analysis, they found that the “objects” taken from the satellite matched the measurements of a human body lying horizontally, as they “[measured] approximately 1.3–2.0 meters.” The figures were C- and J-shaped, indicating that there was bending at either the waist, the knee joints, or a combination of the two.
According to the World Health Organization, more than 460 patients and their families were killed, with at least six healthcare workers abducted. The Sudan Doctors' Network reported that the RSF “demanded a ransom of 100 million Sudanese pounds per doctor.”
Who is the prime suspect under this siege? The Rapid Support Forces throughout Sudan.
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are a paramilitary group that plays a central role in the country’s ongoing civil war, which began in 2023. They emerged from the Janjaweed militias, an Arab majority armed group, which were responsible for widespread atrocities during the Darfur region conflict in the early 2000s.
The Sudanese government formally recognized the Janjaweed into what became the RSF, allowing as a border guard force, and a suppressor for many uprisings. In 2019, the RSP operated alongside the national army, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), to help overthrow Sudan's longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir. However, the alliance between the RSF and the SAF collapsed due to disputes between power and government regulation.
They are the most powerful paramilitary group to emerge during the Bashir era, known for their “brutal attacks and crimes across the Darfur region, including mass displacement, sexual violence, and kidnapping.”
The Sudanese Civil War is fought between two rival factions: the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF. Since then, the two military forces have gradually fought against each other throughout Sudan, leading to over 150,000 casualties, and approximately 13 million people have been displaced across Sudan.
In the greater regions of Darfur and Kordofan, there have been reports of millions of refugees suffering from acute hunger, with only 4 million supported by the World Food Programme.
With cuts on aid, medical refuge, and the rise of risk for pregnant women, children, and families, Sudan is facing one of the biggest humanitarian crises in the world. With Chad hosting nearly 1.3 million displaced people, families fight to cross the border every day—under the difficult circumstances of extreme poverty and conflict.
With eyes on Sudan from the wide expanse of space, the release of these satellite images brings a country that’s fighting to be seen. At the end of the day, the best thing to do is to donate, spread the word, and help them be heard.