(The Big Pit) … Revelations of Mass Graves and Body Burning Sites in El-Fashir

The Popular Resistance in North Darfur revealed on Monday the existence of mass graves and the burning of bodies in the city of El-Fashir following the takeover of the city by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia. The militia seized control of El-Fashir on 26 October and committed massacres against civilians, according to field testimonies and documentation by local and international organizations. The militia’s commander, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo “Hemeidti,” acknowledged the occurrence of “violations” in the city, claiming that investigative committees had been formed.

Abu Bakr Ahmed Imam, spokesperson for the Popular Resistance in North Darfur State, stated in a press report that teams had identified locations of mass graves and body-burning operations in El-Fashir.

He added that several sites were used for secretly burying bodies, including the Garni area, scattered mass graves along the road linking El-Fashir and Jabal Wana, in addition to graves west of the former UNAMID headquarters, the valley west of the Army’s housing complex, and within El-Fashir Airport in restricted zones.

He noted that the road between El-Fashir and Tawila — specifically the section known as “the pavement – the big pit” — has been witnessing nighttime burials using heavy machinery, after bodies were collected from streets and from around hospitals and transported to those locations.

The report confirmed the identification of several sites where bodies were burned, including the area east of the Children’s Hospital in the adjacent open yard, and a location northwest of the city in Garni, west of a militia-run health center.

According to the report, thick smoke and strong odors from burning were observed for hours, alongside confirmed information about bodies being transported in military vehicles to these locations in an attempt to conceal evidence and hinder documentation of the number of victims.

The report further indicated that the militia has carried out wide-scale arrest campaigns targeting thousands of civilians from their homes and at checkpoints, transferring them daily to Dagreiss Prison in Nyala aboard large trucks.

Field teams also documented multiple violations inside Shala Prison, including extreme overcrowding in cells, lack of ventilation, the spread of cholera among detainees without any medical intervention, and severe shortages of food and water — conditions that have led to fainting cases and undocumented deaths.

The report also confirmed that the Children’s Hospital east of El-Fashir had been turned into a detention facility holding hundreds of civilians, including women and elderly people, after the medical staff were expelled. It noted that detained women are facing harsh conditions, including rape affecting all age groups, and that many are being held in secret locations. A significant number have disappeared, with no information on their whereabouts or circumstances. Some women, along with other detainees, have been transferred to Dagreiss Prison in Nyala, where the detention conditions are described as extremely severe.

The report concluded that the humanitarian situation in El-Fashir is extremely dire and requires urgent intervention by the international community, human rights organizations, and humanitarian agencies to halt the violations and provide protection for the population.