Shocking Satellite Images Show Blood and Bodies from Sudan Massacre Visible from Space

A tragic humanitarian disaster is unfolding in Sudan, yet the world seems to ignore it. In El Fasher city, North Darfur, which has fallen under the control of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the killing is so severe that the sight of blood and piles of bodies can be detected from space. The ongoing violence is part of one of the worst global crises, affecting nearly 30 million people. Recent satellite pictures have revealed the terrifying scene after a mass killing in El Fasher. The images, analyzed by the Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) at Yale School of Public Health, show reddish marks believed to be blood and groups of body-like shapes visible from above.

The pictures, taken on October 27 by Airbus Defence and Space, match reports of mass killings by the RSF after they seized the city — the last remaining stronghold of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in North Darfur. HRL’s findings describe RSF vehicles blocking streets in the Daraja Oula area, where many civilians had sought safety. Experts found at least five spots showing “reddish earth discoloration” near objects about 1.3 to 2 meters long — roughly the size of human bodies.

These clusters, which were not seen in earlier images, appeared near the city’s outer defenses, supporting accounts of executions and shootings of people trying to escape. The coordinates point to areas near the Al Safiya mosque, just 250 meters away from the site of a September RSF drone attack that killed 78 people.

How did Sudan’s civil war begin?

The fall of El Fasher on October 27 marked a dangerous turn in Sudan’s civil war, which began in April 2023. The conflict broke out between Sudanese army leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF chief Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti. Satellite photos confirm the RSF’s capture of major military locations in El Fasher, including the SAF Sixth Division base and the 157th Artillery Brigade. Images taken on October 27 show RSF vehicles and T-55 tanks spread across the area. Explosions and burn marks at the captured bases, which did not exist in older images, reveal how fierce the fighting was. Reports on social media and from locals describe mass executions, with soldiers and civilians shot as they fled across the city’s border walls. Over the past two days, more than 5,000 people have escaped, many heading into RSF-controlled zones despite the risks. The United Nations has accused both sides of war crimes, but the RSF faces sharper criticism for targeting people based on ethnicity.

Who are the Janjaweed militias and what are they accused of?

The RSF grew out of the Janjaweed militias, infamous for their crimes during the Darfur genocide in the 2000s. They now control much of western Sudan, including Darfur and Kordofan. The Janjaweed, once called “devils on horseback” for their violent raids of rape and murder, now use trucks and drones instead of horses — but their brutal methods remain the same.  Their attacks mainly target non-Arab ethnic groups such as the Massalit. Reports say RSF members have used rape as a weapon of terror, with some even boasting that they were “making Arab babies.” The United States has declared RSF’s actions as genocide, comparing them to the Darfur massacres of 2003 that killed hundreds of thousands. According to Yale HRL, there is ongoing “systematic and deliberate ethnic cleansing” against the Fur, Zaghawa, and Berti peoples through forced removals and executions. Such acts amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity, or even genocide. In Darfur alone, more than 150,000 have been killed, and about 12 million people have been displaced. Around 25 million face starvation, a situation the UN calls worse than Gaza’s famine.

What do satellite images reveal about people escaping violence?

In El Fasher, the recent violence has displaced around 26,000 residents. Many remain trapped amid robbery, assaults, and chaos. Satellite images show groups moving south toward the RSF-controlled Zamzam camp for displaced people, and west toward Tawilah. Sudan’s gold wealth is also fueling the RSF’s war. The group controls the gold mines in Darfur, smuggling large quantities to the United Arab Emirates. This trade brings in millions used to buy weapons and drones. Although the UAE denies giving the RSF any military help, other supporters include Libya’s Khalifa Haftar, while the Sudanese army receives backing from Egypt, Turkey, and Iran.

How is the world reacting to Sudan’s suffering?

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has described the situation as “unbearable,” yet the world continues to look away from what may be the biggest humanitarian crisis today. Saudi analyst Salman Al-Ansari called it “one of the worst cases of genocide and ethnic cleansing.” Sudan now stands on the edge of a possible split, with its land soaked in blood — blood that can be seen from space, even if the world chooses not to see it.