Analysis by BBC Verify of videos showing fighters boasting about a massacre and later mocking survivors has identified those responsible as apparently belonging to Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The BBC has confirmed that at least 80 people were killed in October’s attack on al-Seriha in Gezira state, with the UN reporting the death toll could be as high as 124. An eyewitness told BBC Verify he saw unarmed civilians being shot by fighters at close range as they tried to flee.
The massacre appears to have been prompted by the defection of a senior RSF commander in Gezira state to the country’s armed forces.
In a statement to the BBC, a spokesperson for the RSF denied that its fighters were involved in the killings, adding that “the Rapid Support Forces work to protect civilians and promote security and peace, and not to target them.” to take.”
The brutal conflict, a 20-month power struggle that pitted Sudan’s military authorities against their former RSF allies, has been condemned by human rights groups for the widespread atrocities committed by both sides.
Warning: This story contains detailed descriptions of murders and images of dead bodies, which some readers may find disturbing.
How a defection led to retaliatory attacks
On October 20, the Sudanese military announced that Abu Keikal, a senior commander in the RSF in Gezira state, had defected to them along with a significant number of his troops.
Keikal’s decision to return to the Sudanese army, where he had served before the war, was hailed as a major propaganda success, and other RSF soldiers were urged to do the same as part of a wider amnesty offer.
Shortly after Keikal’s defection, fighters launched a series of at least 69 retaliatory attacks on towns and villages in Gezira state between October 20 and November 4, according to data from the war monitoring organization Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED).
BBC Verify has investigated one of these attacks in detail, using eyewitness accounts, satellite images, video footage and photographs, to understand what happened.
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How a massacre unfolded in al-Seriha
Mohammad Ismail was attending morning prayers at a local mosque on October 25 when he heard the fighters approaching the outskirts of al-Seriha, a town of about 15,000 people 90 km south of the Sudanese capital Khartoum.
He told the BBC that he ran home to protect his family when violence broke out everywhere.
Gunmen had climbed onto a mosque, he said, and shot “at whatever was moving below.”
Many people were shot while trying to escape, he said. Others were shot at close range in the fields surrounding the town. Many of his relatives were among the dead.
Identifying the perpetrators
BBC Verify has obtained a series of videos filmed by fighters themselves, in which they brag about their actions and call on Keikal, the former RSF commander, to see for himself what they have done to the people of his area.
In one, we see troops wearing RSF insignia celebrating their attack on the city and killing the locals. The circular badge on their right shoulder, also visible in some other clips, has a black outline, a curved representation of the Sudanese flag and above it a circular logo – the symbol used by the RSF.
We confirmed that this video was shot in al-Seriha by comparing buildings and other features in the videos with satellite images of the city.
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In one of the videos, a fighter shows his wristwatch to the camera and shows the date as October 25 – and repeats this out loud – the date of the al-Seriha massacre.
Mr Ismail also told the BBC that when they came to the town he recognized some of the fighters involved in the attack as former residents who had signed up to fight with the RSF.
He also said he had seen two commanders known to be senior RSF leaders in the area. BBC Verify posted images of some RSF fighters via facial recognition software in an attempt to identify the individuals, but these searches returned no results.
The troops left no doubt among the local population that the massacre was committed in response to Keikal’s defection.
In one video, a guard says in Arabic: “Keikal… look, these are your people.”
We were able to match landmarks in this video, such as trees and the shape of nearby buildings seen in the videos, to satellite images of al-Seriha.
In another video – which could not be geolocated but first appeared online on October 26 – men in military uniforms wearing RSF insignia talk about Keikal’s defection and refer to “traitors” in Gezira state. They specifically mentioned Al-Seriha, adding that the city would get what it deserved.
At several points in the video they refer to themselves by the Arabic word “ashawis”, meaning the “brave”, a term used by RSF fighters to identify themselves.
When BBC Verify approached the RSF for comment, they denied that those seen in the clips were their troops. “You can easily obtain and wear a Rapid Support Forces uniform… and then commit crimes against civilians to criminalize the Rapid Support Forces,” a spokesperson for the group said.
While it is not possible to rule this out, the BBC has seen three separate videos, filmed by the fighters themselves, showing RSF insignia on the uniforms of those involved.
A Human Rights Watch report on the attacks on al-Sehira and other towns in Gezira state since Keikal’s defection on October 20 identified the RSF as the perpetrators.
On October 29, the UN issued a statement condemning the killings in al-Seriha and other towns in Gezira state and identifying the RSF as responsible for these attacks.
How many civilians were killed?
The BBC has obtained four separate videos of the aftermath of the attack on al-Seriha. They are very graphic, showing bodies lined up in the courtyard of a mosque, covered in shrouds and blankets. The first versions of these videos appeared online on October 26.
BBC Verify determined that the image below was taken in the mosque’s courtyard by matching key features, including the steel gate and a satellite dish in the background, with an image of the mosque from Google maps.
BBC Verify reviewed the video and photographic evidence and counted at least 82 bodies lying on beds or on the floor.
The UN has said 124 people were killed in the reprisal killings in al-Seriha. A local civil society group, the Gezira Congress, says the number could be as high as 140.
Another piece of evidence uncovered by the BBC Verify investigation is the appearance of freshly dug earthen mounds in the city cemetery.
Mr. Ismail had told us that a mass grave had been dug in the cemetery.
Satellite photos taken after the attack show these mounds in a previously unused section of the cemetery. They are not present in satellite images taken in May.
Nathaniel Raymond, executive director of Yale’s Humanitarian Research Lab, told the BBC that in a separate photo taken on October 30, the graves appear to have been dug recently, given the unusual shape of the mounds and the color of the surrounding earth. In the graph above we have shown a satellite image from December 6 where the cemetery can be seen more clearly.
“These two indicators tell us that the mounds have probably not been there for more than a few days, as the edges of the mounds will become smoother and fuzzier over time due to wind and dust,” he said.
Although the BBC cannot verify how many people are buried in the new section of the cemetery, the size of the earthen mounds, when measured against the nearby white building, suggests that many bodies could have been buried there.
Survivors captured for ransom
When the initial shooting was over and the troops had taken control of the city, the surviving men were rounded up and detained.
BBC Verify has obtained videos of these detentions and kidnappings.
In one, at least 60 people can be seen sitting or standing against a wall, watched by the armed fighters.
Survivors were rounded up by the fighters [Social media]
Some of the prisoners appear to be elderly, and many wear white robes that appear to be stained with blood.
At one point in the video, the fighters taunt their prisoners, calling them dogs and making animal noises.
‘Say baa, dogs, say baa, say baa. You dare to take up arms again, don’t mess with the Rapid Support Forces.’
BBC Verify has confirmed this was filmed in the north-west part of the city by matching distinguishing features on satellite maps. In particular, a corrugated iron structure is visible, which can also be seen on satellite images taken on October 30.
We see others walking in a line with their arms raised. Footage later shows the fighters mocking their captives, forcing residents to make animal noises as the fighters laugh and watch.
[Social media]
Another group of men were later marched past the fighters with their hands behind their backs.
As the group drives by, a fighter recognizable from previous clips again mocks the men.
“Did we defeat al-Seriha,” the fighter asks the prisoners, before repeatedly saying, “Did we do it right?”
Elmubir Mahmoud, secretary general of the Gezira Congress, told the BBC that the fighters took 150 hostages after leaving the city. He said at least 11 prisoners have been killed since then, including a three-year-old girl. BBC Verify cannot confirm this.
But testimony from city resident Mohammad Ismail shows that survivors were forced to pay ransoms for the release of their relatives. He said their captors had demanded between $100 and $1,000.
The activities of the RSF and the Sudanese military in Gezira state have drawn international condemnation, with the UN and human rights organizations expressing outrage.
In a statement, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield urged countries to stop supplying weapons to both sides of the war. She said the deliveries were prolonging the conflict.
“The people of Sudan have been through hell,” she said. “They deserve safety, dignity and justice. They deserve to live.”
Additional reporting by Mohanad Hashim. Graphic by Mesut Ersoz.
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