Location of Incident: El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur State.
Impact Locations: Shelter centers within the Ministry of Social Development at coordinates 13.434333, 22.441736, Ministry of Youth and Sports at coordinates 13.434381, 22.440737, and Ministry of Urban Planning at coordinates: 13.434031, 22.441132.
Date: The exact date of the fire could not be accurately determined, but cross-referencing media and social media reports and satellite imagery suggests that the fire likely broke out on Tuesday, April 25, 2023.
Time: The exact time of the fires could not be determined. Initial reports show that clashes in El Geneina began at around 8:31 AM local time on April 24, 2023. Satellite imagery indicates that the shelter centers, including the three ministries shelters, were likely burned on April 25, 2023.
Victims: The exact number of victims could not be confirmed, but news and civil society reports claimed dozens were killed or injured in shelters during this period in El Geneina. Sudanese Archive found reports of one named victim who was killed at the Ministry of Youth and Sports shelter center.
Type of Incident: Fire.
Weapons Used: Unknown.
Possible Perpetrators: Rapid Support Forces and allied militias, the Sudanese Armed Forces, or other militias from outside the city.

Introduction

Clashes occurring between April 24 and 27, 2023 within El Geneina city led to fires at displaced persons’ shelters, including those at the Ministry of Social Development, Ministry of Urban Planning, and Ministry of Youth and Sports. The fire resulted in the near-total destruction of dozens of makeshift homes (tents, huts, and tarpaulins) inhabited by displaced persons, most of whom were reportedly from the Masalit tribe.

According to videos and images shared on social media, the incidents resulted in dozens killed and injured, with near-total destruction within the shelters, in addition to the displacement of their residents.

A satellite image from Google Earth Pro on April 19, 2023, shows the Ministry of Social Development Shelter at coordinates 13.434333, 22.441736 (marked in red), the Ministry of Urban Planning Shelter at coordinates 13.434031, 22.441132 (marked in yellow), and the Ministry of Youth and Sports Shelter at coordinates 13.434381, 22.440737 (marked in green), as well as other nearby shelter centers (marked in yellow outlines). This image was annotated and captured by Sudanese Archive on March 14, 2024.

Impact Locations

The shelter centers at the Ministry of Social Development, Ministry of Urban Planning, and Ministry of Youth and Sports are located side by side along the A5 road, which separates the Al-Majlis and Al-Tadamon neighborhoods. The only barrier between them is a stone wall that separates the Ministry of Youth and Sports shelter from the other two centers.

A satellite image from Google Earth on April 30, 2024, shows the shelter centers at the three ministries marked in light blue, and the A5 road separating the Al-Tadamon and Al-Majlis neighborhoods. This image was captured and annotated by Sudanese Archive on July 1, 2024.

To the west, the shelter centers at the three ministries are situated next to the Dar Masalit School, which also hosted a shelter center; beyond which is the West Darfur State Police Headquarters.

A satellite image from Google Earth Pro on April 19, 2023, shows three squares marked in red, yellow, and green, indicating the three ministries’ shelter centers, an orange square for Dar Masalit School, and a blue square for the police headquarters. This image was captured and annotated by Sudanese Archive on March 14, 2024.

Sudanese Archive was not able to confirm an exact date for the transformation of the three ministries into shelter centers, or the exact number of residents.

A report from Radio Dabanga published on April 2, 2023, about 22 days before the incident, described the completion of the voluntary evacuation of displaced persons from the Ministry of Social Development shelter center. This followed a process of voluntary return of displaced persons back to Krinding as part of community and government initiatives.

To determine an approximate date for the transformation of the three ministries into shelter centers, Sudanese Archive assessed satellite images and was able to detect significant changes between January 20 and January 31, 2021. The satellite images preceding this date show the areas around the three ministries empty, indicating the absence of tents or makeshift structures, which are then visible by the end of January 2021. This was followed in 2022 by an expansion of the shelter centers within and outside of the ministry blocks, continuing up until April 19, 2023, days before the incident.

Animated satellite images from Google Earth showing the stages of the establishment and development of the shelter centers in the three ministries between 2020 and April 19, 2023, captured and compiled by Sudanese Archive on March 14, 2024.

What Happened and When

News websites and social media accounts circulated reports, accompanied by images and videos, claiming that clashes occurred in El Geneina between April 24 and 28, 2023, and that shelter centers, including at the Ministry of Social Development, the Ministry of Urban Planning, and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, were burned. These incidents allegedly resulted in near-total destruction of the shelters and the displacement of their residents, in addition to claims of killing and injuring of people in the city, which was also subjected to looting.

Initial Reports

The first report that Sudanese Archive obtained came at 8:31 AM local time on April 24, 2023, when Enaam Al-Nour Mohamed, a journalist from El Geneina Radio, reported clashes involving "light and heavy weapons since the morning in the city of El Geneina."

At 8:51 AM, a post on X (formerly Twitter) mentioned ongoing clashes in El Geneina between Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in Al-Jamarik neighborhood.

*Screenshot from a* *post* *by the activist "Abu Ghareeb" on X, captured by Sudanese Archive on March 28, 2024.*

A post on X at 9:43 AM mentioned eyewitness accounts of gunfire occurring between RSF and SAF in Al-Jamarik neighborhood in the western part of the city and in Al-Jabal neighborhood.

On the same day, the Facebook page of the Governor of West Darfur State reported at 5:06 PM about then-Governor Khamees Abbakar expressing regret over the "current events" in El Geneina.

*A screenshot of a* *post* *by the Governor of West Darfur on Facebook, captured by Sudanese Archive on February 27, 2024.*

Darfur 24 published a report on its website on April 26, 2023, discussing looting and theft from ministries and government institutions, as well as from UN organization offices, holding responsible those referred to as "armed men".

One day later, on April 27, 2023, a report published by West Darfur Doctors Syndicate on its Facebook page described the looting and burning in the city of El Geneina as "brutal and unprecedented," stating that it affected many "houses, shops, offices, warehouses of humanitarian organizations, government institutions, and shelters for the displaced."

*A screenshot of a* *statement* *from West Darfur Doctors Union on Facebook, captured by Sudanese Archive on February 14, 2024.*

Tayba Satellite Channel claimed in a post on X that "the militias have set fire to the El Geneina Hospital, government institutions, and looted the banks”.

On April 28, the Facebook page of the Governor of West Darfur State reported statements from then-Governor Khamees Abbakar indicating that there were casualties and injuries in the city, as well as damage to "properties, institutions, shelter centers, markets, health and humanitarian service centers, security facilities, and El Geneina Teaching Hospital."

*A screenshot of a* *post* *by the Governor of West Darfur page on Facebook, captured by Sudanese Archive on February 27, 2024.*

Fajr Al-Sudan Channel published on its Facebook page on April 27 what it claimed was a statement from the "Darfur Lawyers Association and its partners," indicating that ‘attacking forces’ had burned down displaced persons’ shelters and camps, among other incidents within the city of El Geneina. These incidents reportedly began three days prior and continued until the morning of April 27.

*A screenshot of a* *statement* *published by Fajr Al-Sudan Channel on Facebook, captured by Sudanese Archive on February 8, 2024.*

In a video purportedly showing burned areas in El Geneina, Abdelkhaleq Dodin, the Darfur governor's advisor for humanitarian affairs, blamed militias from outside the city for the attack and the burning of 10 shelters, as well as hospitals, clinics, water points and the city market; and for the siege of civilians and the looting of their homes and public facilities.

On the night of April 29, 2023, Benjamin Strick posted on X an annotated satellite image from Planet Labs PBC showing fire damage at several locations in El Geneina, including the three shelter centers within the Ministries of Social Development, Urban Planning, and Youth and Sports. The image was dated April 28, 2023.

*A screenshot from Benjamin Strick's* *post* shows locations reportedly affected by burning in El Geneina as of April 28, 2023. The white squares indicate the locations of burn marks, and the light blue squares mark the three shelter centers within the Ministries of Social Development (coordinates: 13.434333, 22.441736), Urban Planning (13.434031, 22.441132), and Youth and Sports (13.434381, 22.440737). Sudanese Archive superimposed the blue markings indicating the ministry shelters on the image, which was captured on July 7, 2024.

A video posted on Facebook on May 1, 2023, shows a tour that the videographer claims is in El Geneina, highlighting the extent of damage to many private and government institutions, personal properties, infrastructure, international organizations, and shelters for the displaced, including the Ministry of Youth and Sports shelter center and the Ministry of Urban Planning shelter center.

El Geneina Darndouka page on Facebook published a detailed report about the events in El Geneina, specifying a group of neighborhoods that were attacked in the city of El Geneina during the period between April 24 and April 27, 2023. The affected neighborhoods included (Al-Jabal, Al-Tadamon, Al-Thawra, Al-Buhayra, Al-Zuhour, Al-Madaris, Al-Majlis, and Al-Mansoura), in addition to the main market. The report claimed that dozens were killed and injured in the attack, which was attributed to the RSF, as well as the burning of several shelter centers in two phases on April 25 and April 27, 2023. It also mentioned a fire in the centers located within government institutions.

*A satellite image from Google Earth Pro approximately showing some neighborhoods in the city of El Geneina, as identified by a* *post* *from El Geneina Darndouka page on Facebook. Annotated by Sudanese Archive on the image captured on February 20, 2024.*

Satellite images of El Geneina from NASA FIRMS showed heat signatures for April 25, 2023, while these signatures were absent on April 24, 26, and 27, 2023. Sudanese Archive identified the locations of the shelter centers in the three ministries within the areas covered by heat signatures, by comparing notable landmarks in the area.

*A comparative image of screenshots from* *NASA FIRMS* showing thermal indicators for the location of the ministries between April 24 and 27, 2023. The red markers show heat signatures from the area, and the blue marker refers to the ministries, as annotated by Sudanese Archive on the images captured on February 23, 2024.

A satellite image dated April 30, 2023 from a report by Human Rights Watch showed burn damage that seemed to have affected the tents and temporary structures in the shelter centers located within the ministries.

*An annotated satellite image on April 30, 2023 from a Human Rights Watch* *report, showing burn damage, including of the shelter centers within the three ministries. The light blue markings were added by Sudanese Archive on the image captured on June 1, 2024.*

Online reports, satellite images and analysis confirm the burning of shelter centers in El Geneina, including those in the Ministries of Urban Planning, Youth and Sports, and Social Development, between April 24 and 27, 2023. Based on the sources above including NASA FIRMS data, Sudanese Archive suggests that the fires occurred on April 25, 2023.

Geographic Locations

Images, videos and written posts shared online show the aftermath of fires that affected the shelter centers of the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Urban Planning; and written posts and satellite imagery show that fires also affected the Ministry of Social Development shelter center.

Impact Location 1: Ministry of Social Development

Coordinates: 13.434333, 22.441736

This shelter center is located in and around the premises of the Ministry of Social Development, within a block shared with the Ministry of Urban Planning. It is adjacent to the Ministry of Education to the east, on the main A5 street of Al-Tadamon neighborhood in El Geneina.

A satellite image on April 19, 2023 from Airbus via Google Earth Pro showing the Ministry of Social Development shelter center at coordinates 13.434333, 22.441736. The placenames are from the original source; the blue markers indicate boundaries of the shelter center annotated by Sudanese Archive on the image captured on June 1, 2024.

Sudanese Archive was not able to obtain an image or video of the shelter center after the fire, but various social media users reported that it was burned. Additionally, satellite images appear to show the impact of fires that affected the area.

On the left, a satellite image from Google Earth on April 19, 2023, of the shelter center at the Ministry of Social Development at coordinates 13.434333, 22.441736. On the right, a satellite image from ESRI World Imagery Wayback of the same location on May 17, 2023, showing the aftermath of the fire. Annotated by Sudanese Archive on the images captured on June 30, 2024.

Impact Location 2: Ministry of Youth and Sports

Coordinates: 13.434381, 22.440737

This shelter center is located in and around the premises of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, which is also located on the main A5 street in Al-Tadamon neighborhood in the city of El Geneina. To the east, a stone wall separates it from the shelter center of the Ministry of Urban Planning, and to the west it is adjacent to the shelter center of the Dar Masalit School.

A screenshot from Airbus via Google Earth Pro of the Ministry of Youth and Sports shelter center at the coordinates 13.434381, 22.440737. The placenames are from the original source; the blue markers indicate the boundaries of the shelter center, placed by Sudanese Archive on the image captured on February 26, 2024.

A video posted on Facebook by Abbas Hussein Al-Toum on May 1, 2023 claims to show the aftermath of the fire and destruction in the shelter center at the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

*Panoramic image of the Ministry of Youth and Sports from* *video* *on Facebook, captured and compiled by Sudanese Archive on November 26, 2024.*

Sudanese Archive identified the location of the Ministry of Youth and Sports in the video by comparing the prominent landmarks visible in satellite images.

*At the top are panoramic screenshots from a* *video* posted on Facebook on May 1, 2023 reportedly showing the Ministry of Youth and Sports shelter after it was burned. At the bottom is a satellite image from Google Earth at the coordinates 13.434381, 22.440737. The annotations were added by Sudanese Archive to the images captured on February 21, 2024.

A satellite image from ESRI World Imagery Wayback on May 17, 2023, also shows burn damage.

*A satellite image from* *ESRI World Imagery Wayback* shows the Ministry of Youth and Sports shelter at coordinates 13.434381, 22.440737 on May 17, 2023, displaying burn damage. The annotations were added by Sudanese Archive on the image captured on June 30, 2024.

Impact Location 3: Ministry of Urban Planning

Coordinates: 13.434031, 22.441132

This shelter center is located in and around the premises of the Ministry of Urban Planning, within a block that also includes the Ministry of Social Development, adjacent to the Ministry of Youth and Sports building on the western side and the Ministry of Education on the eastern side, on the main street A5 in the city of El Geneina.

A satellite image from Airbus via Google Earth Pro of the Ministry of Urban Planning at the coordinates 13.434031, 22.441132. The placenames are from the original source; the blue markers indicate the boundaries of the shelter center, placed by Sudanese Archive on the image captured on June 30, 2024.

Footage from the video posted by Abbas Hussein Al-Toum on Facebook on May 1, 2023 claims to show the aftermath of the fire and destruction in the shelter center of the Ministry of Urban Planning.

*In the top right, an* *image* *from May 2014 of the Ministry of Urban Planning (before it was used as a shelter center); in the top left, a screenshot from a Facebook* *video* reportedly showing the center after it was burned; at the bottom, a satellite image from Google Earth at the coordinates 13.434031, 22.441132. Annotations by Sudanese Archive on the images captured on February 20, 2024.

A satellite image from ESRI World Imagery Wayback on May 17, 2023, also shows burn damage.

*A satellite image from* *ESRI World Imagery Wayback* shows the Ministry of Urban Planning shelter center at the coordinates 13.434031, 22.441132 on May 17, 2023, displaying burn damage. Annotations by Sudanese Archive on the image captured on June 30, 2024.

Sudanese Archive was unable to find video or images of the moment the three centers burned. However, a video published on April 25 shows fires in the West Darfur State Police Headquarters (which is located at coordinates 13.434273, 22.438888), approximately 200 meters west of the Ministry of Youth and Sports (which is located at coordinates 13.434381, 22.440737).

Victims

Sudanese Archive was unable to establish a direct link between the reported casualties in El Geneina city and the fire incident involving the Ministries of Social Development, Urban Planning, and Youth and Sports. However, a July 2023 Facebook post by Abduerhman A. H. Deiges announced the death of Mubarak Ibrahim, referring to him as a martyr, and reporting that his death occurred on April 27, 2023, at the Ministry of Youth and Sports shelter center in El Geneina.

*Screenshot of a* *post* *from Facebook captured by Sudanese Archive on June 19, 2025.*

Destruction

Based on the available video and satellite images, the fires that affected the Ministry of Urban Planning and Ministry of Youth and Sports shelter centers caused severe destruction of personal property, residential buildings made of tarpaulins, straw tents, and other temporary structures in the outer courtyard of the ministries, and caused fire damage to the stone buildings. The total area of the three ministries’ shelters is estimated to be about 22,000 square meters.

*The satellite image from Google Earth Pro shows the area of the three ministries’ shelter centers, captured by Sudanese Archive on February 19, 2024.*

*A screenshot from a Facebook* *video* *by Abbas Hussein Al-Toum, showing the outer wall of the Ministry of Urban Planning with signs of smoke. Captured by Sudanese Archive on February 20, 2024.*

*A panoramic screenshot from a Facebook* *video* *by Abbas Hussein Al-Toum, showing the outer wall of the Ministry of Youth and Sports with signs of smoke. Captured by Sudanese Archive on February 20, 2024.*

A satellite image from ESRI World Imagery Wayback taken on May 17, 2023, shows most of the area of the three ministries affected by fire and the destruction of the tents and makeshift shelters they contained, except for the stone buildings, which were impacted by the fire without showing signs of collapse in the images.

*A satellite image from* *ESRI World Imagery Wayback* *of the shelters in the three ministries on May 17, 2023, shows burn damage and the absence of tents and shelters. Annotated and captured by Sudanese Archive on June 29, 2024.*

Conclusion

Based on the detailed information above, it can be confirmed that the shelter centers at the Ministry of Social Development, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and the Ministry of Urban Planning in El Geneina were burned, leading to their near-total destruction, and implying that the residents were displaced. Initial reports, and analysis of images, videos and satellite imagery state that the shelter was burned between April 24 and April 27, 2023, with the most likely date as April 25. Social media reports identified at least one victim who purportedly died at the Ministry of Youth and Sports shelter center during this time period. Sudanese Archive could not accurately determine the presence of other fatalities at the ministry shelter centers.

Visual content, witness testimonies, reports circulated by local media and activists, international civil society and UN reports, and satellite imagery analysis, confirm extensive destruction in multiple shelters across the city, pointing to a deliberate and systematic campaign of destruction against internally displaced persons’ shelters. Sudanese Archive was not able to independently determine who was responsible for the burning of the shelter centers, but reports shared online pointed to the Rapid Support Forces and allied militias, the Sudanese Armed Forces, or other militias from outside the city as involved in fighting in El Geneina during this period, and as potentially responsible for the attacks on the shelter centers.

.css-68jq5d{padding-bottom:1.45rem;color:#ffffff;-webkit-transition:0.25s;transition:0.25s;}.css-68jq5d:hover{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}INVESTIGATIONS

Investigation into the Burning, and Displacement of Residents of three Shelter Centers within the Ministries of Social Development, Urban Planning, and Youth and Sports

Table Of Contents

INVESTIGATIONS