The horror unfolding in Sudan’s Darfur region is now visible from space. Satellite imagery reveals tens of thousands of bodies scattered across el-Fasher, a city trapped under an 18-month siege by the notorious Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Experts warn the scale of killing rivals some of the deadliest genocides in recent history, prompting urgent calls from humanitarian organizations.

El-Fasher, home to roughly 250,000 people, has been encircled by a sand barrier constructed by RSF fighters. Most residents remain trapped as the paramilitary group carries out systematic attacks. Eyewitnesses describe scenes of mass executions, shelling, and indiscriminate shootings.

Mutaz Mohamed Musa, one of the few survivors to escape, recounted the ordeal to NBC News. After the Sudanese military withdrew from the city, Musa joined thousands attempting to flee. But RSF fighters in pickup trucks immediately opened fire.

“They opened direct fire on civilians,” Musa said. “It was extremely intense. People scattered in all directions as they were chased and run over by trucks.”

Musa estimated only around 150 people made it past the sand berm. He was captured and witnessed executions firsthand. “They would ask a man to run. Once you start running, they shoot you,” he said. Musa was later released after his family paid a ransom.

High-resolution satellite images from Airbus DS – HRL show clusters of dark objects outside a former children’s hospital in el-Fasher, consistent with human bodies. The imagery, collected over consecutive days, shows bodies accumulating across the compound, confirming eyewitness reports of systematic killings.

Nathaniel Raymond, director of the Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale University, said, “We have never seen a velocity of violence at this scale. Bodies are piling up in streets, pools of blood surrounding them. They are moving like a wood chipper and killing everything that moves.”

Videos circulating on social media show RSF fighters walking among corpses as vehicles burn in the background. In one clip, a commander identified as Abu Lulu executes men on the ground, highlighting the calculated nature of the attacks.

Of the few who manage to escape, most are women and children. Justine Muzik Piquemal, regional director of Solidarites International, reported widespread sexual violence along escape routes. Many families are trekking across deserts with nothing, fleeing RSF militias.

Arjan Hehenkamp, head of the International Rescue Committee’s Darfur operations, described the exodus as a “trickle,” with only about 5,000 people reaching Tawila, a small town 30 miles west of el-Fasher. “It’s disturbing that so few have made it to safety,” he said.

The violence stems from a power struggle between Sudan’s military, led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and his former deputy, Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo (aka Hemedti), leader of the RSF. Both men were key figures in Darfur’s counterinsurgency in 2005, which resulted in the indictment of former dictator Omar al-Bashir for genocide.

After a 2019 coup ousted al-Bashir, Burhan and Dagalo initially ruled jointly. Their alliance collapsed over the transition to civilian governance, igniting widespread violence that has displaced over 14 million people and plunged parts of Sudan, including Darfur, into famine.

The U.S. government has labeled the RSF’s actions as genocide, while Sudan has accused the United Arab Emirates of supplying arms to the paramilitary forces—a charge the Emiratis deny.

With communications blacked out in el-Fasher, satellite imagery and survivor testimonies provide the clearest evidence of atrocities. The United Nations estimated 40,000 deaths as of May 2025, though experts believe the actual toll is far higher.

Following the RSF withdrawal, Burhan’s military claimed the retreat aimed to save civilians. Dagalo announced an investigation into violations by RSF soldiers, while ordering his forces to “protect civilians and facilitate their movement.”

Yet experts warn that these statements may not reflect reality. Raymond emphasized, “The RSF is finishing the liquidation of Darfur. This is the final battle of the Darfur genocide.”

As satellite images continue to reveal the extent of mass killings, the international community faces a stark choice: intervene to prevent further atrocities, or witness another genocide in the 21st century. The blood visible from space is not just a tragedy for Sudan—it is a call to action for the world.