Scale of destruction in Sudan revealed by satellite images before and after conflict

Buildings burned to the ground, and a bombed-out school site – the extent of the destruction in Sudan’s city of El Geneina can be seen in satellite images, analysed by Sky News.

Before and after images show large burned-out areas throughout the city caused by fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group and other armed groups.

Violent clashes erupted in Sudan earlier this year when a fragile truce between the armed forces and the RSF broke down.

The groups had worked together to oust Sudan’s former leader Omar al Bashir in 2019 but there have been long-running disagreements over how the country should be run.

Tensions came to a head when the groups fell out about how and when the RSF should be incorporated formally into the armed forces.

Since the violence escalated, the country has been in crisis – forcing Western countries, including the UK, to act to evacuate thousands of their citizens.

Scores have fled across borders into neighbouring countries, too.

But for many, escape is not an option.

Now Sky News has uncovered evidence showing just how destructive the crisis has been on the ground.

In El Geneina, the regional captial of West Darfur, the landscape has literally changed.

The grounds of a prep school and secondary school in the city have been completely wiped out, as seen in the satellite images taken on 18 May. The before image is taken on 15 January.

Dark scars are all that remains – visible in the middle of the below images.

Use the sliders below to see satellite images of the city before (left) and after (right) the fighting began

Another school campus has been destroyed, as well as a library.

The damage is likely caused by fires and spreads across a large area more than 500m wide.

Trees, greenery and clusters of buildings have been wiped from the map.

A range of government buildings, including the education ministry, can also be seen with extensive damage.

At least six buildings and their grounds have been wrecked – visible in the top left of the before and after images below.

What was once the city’s market has been totally destroyed – images from the ground show collapsed stalls and looted buildings.

And from satellites, all that can be seen is a blackened void where once stalls crowded together.

As well as the physical destruction, the fighting in El Geneina has led to hundreds of deaths.

The Sudanese Doctors Union said that over two days last week, 280 deaths and 169 injuries were recorded in the city.

This recent escalation comes after at least 150 people were killed in late April.

Homes and businesses across the city have fallen victim to widespread looting since the beginning of the current conflict.

Private homes, shops, pharmacies, several NGOs, as well as the Ministry of Health premises and the market, have all been targeted.

The fighting in West Darfur has forced tens of thousands of people to flee across the border to Chad.

The United Nations Refugee Agency said a total of 60,000 refugees have moved across since the conflict broke out.

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.

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