In brief
A recent report from Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab accuses Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of systematic efforts to cover up mass killings in el-Fasher. The RSF allegedly engaged in disposing of tens of thousands of bodies following their capture of the city, with ongoing operations to destroy evidence of their actions. The international community, including the UN, has condemned the RSF for committing crimes against humanity during the conflict.
Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has been trying to cover up mass killings in el-Fasher by burying and burning bodies, a research team from Yale University says.
The RSF has drawn international condemnation amid reports of executions and crimes against humanity when its fighters captured the city in October.
Analysis of satellite images by Yale's Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) shows that the RSF likely disposed of tens of thousands of bodies after seizing el-Fasher.
The RSF has not responded to the report, but its leader previously admitted that his fighters had committed some violations in the city.
The HRL's report indicated that the RSF engaged in a systematic multi-week campaign to destroy evidence of its widespread mass killings, and this pattern of body disposal and destruction is ongoing.
The paramilitary group has been fighting Sudan's regular army since April 2023, when a power struggle between the two parties erupted into a brutal civil war.
The United Nations (UN) has described the conflict as the world's worst humanitarian disaster.
Following an international backlash, RSF leader Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo declared an investigation into what he called violations committed by his soldiers during the capture of el-Fasher, although the group denies widespread allegations of ethnic targeting.
The HRL has warned of the low number of civilians who managed to successfully flee el-Fasher after the RSF seizure. The UN estimates approximately 250,000 people remain trapped in the city.
