How brutal capture of Sudan refugee camp played out
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On 11 April, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and its affiliates attacked Zamzam camp in North Darfur.
The RSF is a paramilitary organisation comprised of militias that used to be be aligned with Sudan’s government.
For exactly two years it has been been locked in a civil war with the government’s Sudan Armed Forces (SAF). Both sides have been accused of human rights abuses over the course of the conflict.
After the capture of Zamzam, the RSF claimed in a statement released on Telegram that the camp was being used as a barracks, accusing the SAF of using civilians as “human shields”.
It further claimed, “the Rapid Support Forces were able to secure civilians during the liberation operation and prevent them from being harmed”.
Satellite imagery and footage from the ground paints a darker picture, showing the execution of an unarmed man and widespread fires within the camp at the time of its capture.
Zamzam sits just to the south of Al Fashir, North Darfur’s capital city, which has been a key target of the RSF in recent months.
Filming of an execution
Shortly after the RSF attack began on 11 April, a video began circulating on social media. It shows a group of gunmen standing over two unarmed men and a child.
One of the men squats in front of a gunman holding an assault rifle. The gunman shoots him at close range, killing him.
The child, less than a meter away, lies face down with his hands covering the back of his head.
A fighter films himself while another executes an unarmed man.
While the footage does not contain much contextual information, the person filming turns the camera to his face before showing a close-up view of the dead body behind him.
Sky News has geolocated a second video showing the same man, wearing the same clothing and equipment, at another location within the camp at the time of its capture.
The footage shows the fighter with a group of gunmen celebrating as they enter a compound in the south of the camp.
Gunfire can be heard, and smoke rises from nearby as the group cheer.
An RSF patch is visible on a fighter filmed by the man present at the execution.
At one point, a uniformed fighter wearing an RSF patch can be seen, confirming that at least this individual is affiliated with the organisation.
Both videos appear to have been filmed within a short timeframe.
The fighter seen in both videos is wearing the same head covering, clothing and tactical gear. The pattern on his head covering is oriented identically in both, suggesting it has not been removed in the time between filming.
A fighter filmed at two seperate locations wearing the same head covering, clothing and tactical gear.
Widespread fires
Available footage and satellite images show the RSF’s capture of Zamzam was closely followed by fires being lit across the camp.
In one video, a man in an RSF uniform can be seen driving on the camp’s main road while thick smoke rises from nearby fires.
Data from FIRMS, a NASA project that uses satellite data to detect thermal anomalies, provides a wider view.
Following the arrival of the RSF on 11 April, fires were detected across the south and east of the camp.
FIRMS data showing thermal anomalies indicating fires following the RSF capture of Zamzam.
More fires were detected in the east and south on 12 April, with areas in the north of the camp being affected on the 13 April.
Satellite imagery showing buildings on fire in Zamzam. Pic: Maxar.
Satellite images form Maxar confirm buildings burned across the south of the camp on April 11, close to where fighters were seen.
On Tuesday, the African Union and European government’s including the UK called for an immediate cessation of the hostilities in which tens of thousands of people have been killed in the last two years.
The Data and Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We gather, analyse and visualise data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open-source information. Through multimedia storytelling we aim to better explain the world while also showing how our journalism is done.
