BBC Investigation Identifies Fighters Accused in Sudan Massacre

An examination of video footage by BBC Verify, depicting combatants celebrating a mass killing and subsequently ridiculing those who survived, has indicated that the individuals responsible appear to be members of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The BBC has verified that a minimum of 80 individuals perished in the assault on al-Seriha in Gezira state during October, while the UN has stated that the number of fatalities might reach 124. A witness informed BBC Verify that he observed unarmed non-combatants being shot by fighters from a short distance as they attempted to escape. This mass killing seems to have been provoked by the desertion of a high-ranking RSF commander in Gezira state, who joined the nation’s armed forces. Responding to the BBC, an RSF spokesperson refuted claims of their combatants’ participation in the slayings, asserting that “the Rapid Support Forces work to protect civilians and promote security and peace, and not to target them.” Human rights organizations have denounced the savage conflict, a 20-month struggle for power between Sudan’s military leadership and their erstwhile RSF partners, citing extensive atrocities perpetrated by both factions. Caution: This report includes explicit accounts of fatalities and visuals of deceased individuals, which some audiences may find disturbing. The Sudanese military declared on 20 October that Abu Aqla Keikal, a high-ranking commander of the RSF in Gezira state, had defected to their side, accompanied by a significant portion of his troops. Keikal’s choice to rejoin the Sudanese army, where he had previously served prior to the conflict, was lauded as a substantial propaganda triumph, and other RSF personnel were encouraged to follow suit under a broad amnesty proposal. Soon after Keikal’s desertion, combatants initiated a sequence of no fewer than 69 retaliatory assaults on communities and hamlets within Gezira state, occurring between 20 October and 4 November, based on information documented by the war monitoring entity Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED). BBC Verify conducted a thorough investigation into one of these assaults, employing eyewitness accounts, satellite pictures, video recordings, and still images to ascertain the events. On 25 October, Mohammad Ismail was participating in morning prayers at a neighborhood mosque when he detected the approach of fighters towards the periphery of al-Seriha, a settlement with approximately 15,000 inhabitants, situated 90km (60 miles) south of Sudan’s capital, Khartoum. He informed the BBC that he rushed back to his residence to safeguard his family as hostilities commenced throughout the area. He stated that armed individuals had ascended a mosque and were firing “at whatever moved” beneath them. He recounted that numerous individuals were shot as they attempted to flee. Others were killed from a short distance in the agricultural areas encircling the town. A significant number of his relatives were among those who perished. BBC Verify has acquired several videos recorded by the fighters themselves, in which they brag about their deeds and challenge Keikal, the ex-RSF commander, to witness firsthand their actions against the inhabitants of his region. In one such video, soldiers displaying RSF insignia are observed commemorating their assault on the town and the killing of residents. The circular emblem visible on their right shoulders, also present in other footage, features a black border, a curved depiction of the Sudanese flag, and a circular logo positioned above it—this being the recognized symbol of the RSF. This video’s filming location in al-Seriha has been verified by cross-referencing structures and other features within the footage with satellite photographs of the town. Within one of the recordings, a combatant exhibits his wristwatch to the camera, indicating the date as 25 October—and vocalizing it—which corresponds to the date of the mass killing in al-Seriha. Mr. Ismail further informed the BBC that upon the fighters’ arrival in the town, he recognized some individuals participating in the assault as former inhabitants who had enlisted with the RSF. He additionally stated that he observed two commanders known to be high-ranking RSF leaders in the vicinity. BBC Verify processed images of certain RSF fighters using facial recognition technology in an effort to identify the persons, yet these inquiries yielded no matches. The soldiers made it unequivocally clear to local residents that the mass killing was conducted as a reaction to Keikal’s desertion. In a particular video, a guard utters in Arabic: “Keikal … look these are your people.” We successfully correlated distinctive features in this video, including trees and the configuration of adjacent buildings visible in the footage, with satellite images of al-Seriha. An additional video—which could not be geographically pinpointed but initially surfaced online on 26 October—shows men in military attire bearing RSF insignia discussing Keikal’s defection and referencing “traitors” in Gezira state. They explicitly named al-Seriha, stating that the town would receive its due. On multiple occasions within the video, they identify themselves with the Arabic term “ashawis,” which translates to “the brave ones,” a designation employed by RSF combatants for self-identification. Upon BBC Verify’s request for comment from the RSF, they disclaimed that the individuals depicted in the footage were their soldiers. A spokesperson for the organization stated, “You can easily obtain a Rapid Support Forces uniform and wear it… then commit crimes against civilians, to criminalise the Rapid Support Forces.” Although this possibility cannot be entirely dismissed, the BBC has viewed three distinct videos recorded by the fighters themselves, wherein RSF insignia are discernible on the uniforms of the participants. A Human Rights Watch report investigating the assaults on al-Seriha and other communities in Gezira state subsequent to Keikal’s defection on 20 October, pinpointed the RSF as the responsible parties. The UN released a statement on 29 October, denouncing the slayings in al-Seriha and other localities in Gezira state, and attributing responsibility for these attacks to the RSF. The BBC has acquired four distinct videos depicting the aftermath of the assault on al-Seriha. These are highly graphic, showing corpses arranged in the courtyard of a mosque, draped with shrouds and blankets. The initial versions of these videos emerged online on 26 October. BBC Verify has determined that the image below was captured in the mosque’s courtyard by correlating prominent characteristics, such as the steel gate and a satellite dish in the background, with a Google Maps image of the mosque. BBC Verify analyzed the video and photographic evidence, tallying a minimum of 82 bodies arranged on beds or on the ground. The UN has stated that 124 individuals perished in the retaliatory killings in al-Seriha. The Gezira Congress, a local civil society organization, suggests that this number might reach 140. Further evidence brought to light by the BBC Verify inquiry is the presence of recently excavated earth mounds within the town’s cemetery. Mr. Ismail had informed us that a mass grave was excavated in the burial ground. In satellite photographs taken subsequent to the assault, these mounds are discernible in a section of the cemetery that was previously undeveloped. They are absent from satellite images recorded in May. Nathaniel Raymond, Executive Director of Yale’s Humanitarian Research Lab, conveyed to the BBC that in a distinct image captured on 30 October, the graves seem to have been recently dug, considering the unique configuration of the mounds and the hue of the adjacent soil. In the aforementioned graphic, we have presented a satellite image from 6 December that more distinctly illustrates the cemetery. He remarked, “These two indicators tell us that the mounds had not been there for likely more than a few days because the edges of the mounds over time will smoothen and become more blurry because of wind and dust.” Although the BBC is unable to confirm the exact number of individuals interred in the new part of the cemetery, the dimensions of the earth mounds, when compared to the adjacent white structure, imply that numerous bodies might have been buried in that location. After the initial gunfire ceased and the soldiers had secured control of the town, the male survivors were gathered and apprehended. BBC Verify has procured video footage of these arrests and kidnappings. In one such video, a minimum of 60 individuals are visible, seated or standing against a wall, under the observation of armed combatants. Several of the detainees appear to be elderly, and many are dressed in what seem to be blood-stained white garments. During a segment of the video, the fighters mock their prisoners, referring to them as dogs and emitting animal sounds. “Say baa, you dogs, say baa, say baa. You dare again to take up arms, don’t mess with the Rapid Support Forces.” BBC Verify has verified that this was recorded in the north-western sector of the town by correlating unique features displayed on satellite maps. Specifically, a corrugated iron structure is visible, which is also discernible in satellite imagery acquired on 30 October. Other individuals are observed walking in a single file with their arms elevated. Subsequent footage depicts the fighters ridiculing their prisoners, compelling residents to produce animal sounds while the combatants laugh and watch. A different group of men was later paraded past the fighters with their hands clasped behind their backs. As this group proceeds, one combatant, identifiable from previous footage, again derides the men. “Did we defeat al-Seriha,” the fighter inquires of the captives, prior to reiterating: “Did we do well?” Elmubir Mahmoud, the secretary-general of the Gezira Congress, informed the BBC that the fighters abducted 150 hostages upon their departure from the town. He stated that a minimum of 11 detainees—including a three-year-old girl—have since been killed. BBC Verify is unable to corroborate this. However, testimony provided to us by town inhabitant Mohammad Ismail indicates that survivors were compelled to pay ransoms for the liberation of their family members. He mentioned that their abductors had requested sums ranging from US$100 to US$1,000. The actions of the RSF and the Sudanese military within Gezira state have drawn global condemnation, with the UN and human rights organizations voicing indignation. In an official statement, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield implored nations to stop supplying weaponry to both factions in the conflict. She asserted that these provisions were extending the duration of the conflict. “The people of Sudan have endured hell,” she stated. “They deserve safety, dignity, and justice. They deserve to live.” Further reporting by Mohanad Hashim. Visuals by Mesut Ersoz. What would you like BBC Verify to examine? Copyright 2024 BBC. All