Assalamu alaykum - Satellite images reveal horrors in El-Fasher, Sudan
Assalamu alaykum. Satellite imagery from Sudan has helped expose the terrible abuses that took place when paramilitary forces took over the last army-held area in western Darfur. Nathaniel Raymond of Yale’s Humanitarian Research Lab told AFP that these aerial photos were often the only way to see what was happening on the ground in El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur.
On October 26 the Rapid Support Forces, who have been fighting Sudan’s army for more than two years, said they had seized the city after a siege of nearly 18 months. Close-up images show signs consistent with eyewitness accounts: apparent door-to-door killings, mass graves, reddish stains on the earth and bodies visible along an earthen berm. On October 28 HRL published imagery of the city’s maternity hospital showing piles of white shapes not present before, roughly the size of human bodies, and nearby reddish soil that could indicate blood. The World Health Organization later reported the tragic deaths of more than 460 patients and medical staff at that hospital.
HRL had been monitoring El-Fasher during the siege and says the released images helped spark widespread public outrage. Since the siege began, the lab has been informing the United Nations and the United States about developments, and its reports have been used to track shifts in territorial control. Movement of civilians, attacks, drone strikes and mass killings were all monitored while access to the city remained blocked despite calls to open humanitarian corridors.
Satellite imagery has become essential for aid groups and journalists in places where on-the-ground access is impossible - Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan are examples. Commercial satellite companies scan the globe daily (weather permitting), and depending on sensors can show buildings, vehicles and even crowds. HRL cross-checks satellite images with other available material like videos and local reporting to corroborate events, following a published methodology.
After El-Fasher fell, paramilitaries posted videos showing killings more openly than before, giving researchers more material to analyze. The team matched those clips with satellite images and other limited information to identify, date and geolocate acts of violence. Raymond said the lab’s goal is to raise the alarm about these atrocities and collect evidence so perpetrators can be held accountable, pointing to past uses of aerial imagery in prosecutions such as at Srebrenica.
The images from El-Fasher have provoked international condemnation. The International Criminal Court’s prosecutor said the acts there could amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes. Public pressure led to a drop in the volume of videos being posted by the perpetrators, but researchers say the work hasn’t gotten easier - now they must focus on tracking how perpetrators move from killing to disposing of victims, including whether they dig trenches, burn remains, or use waterways.
This is a grave and painful situation; may Allah protect the innocent, grant patience to the victims’ families, and bring justice. Please keep those affected in your duas.
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