The Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale University in the United States— which relies on satellite imagery analysis and open-source data to monitor developments on the ground—has revealed evidence indicating the flow of new types of supplies and equipment to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia in West Darfur, as fighting continues across large parts of Sudan amid the civil war that has been ongoing since April 2023.
According to analyses conducted by the Yale lab, satellite imagery has shown movements of military vehicles and equipment of unknown origin in areas under RSF control in Darfur, in addition to the presence of large cargo aircraft such as the Ilyushin IL-76 in airspace near those areas. This has reignited debate over the possibility that these movements form part of an external supply chain reaching armed militias.
Yale’s reports also pointed to potential indicators of the arrival of aerial or ground military equipment in RSF-controlled areas, raising questions about the parties that may be behind these supplies—particularly in light of repeated accusations against certain countries of providing logistical or military support to parties to the conflict, thereby contributing to the continuation of the fighting.
Why does this matter?
Yale’s documentation of imagery or activity suggesting the provision of supplies to the militia amid one of Africa’s most violent conflicts highlights several critical issues:
- The continued flow of weapons and military equipment into a war that has triggered what is currently the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with millions displaced and in need of assistance.
- The difficulty of on-the-ground verification due to lack of access and communication blackouts in besieged areas, making satellite imagery and remote analysis among the most important tools for understanding developments.
- Ongoing scrutiny of external or regional actors in the conflict, especially amid allegations by international organizations that some neighboring or regional states have supplied weapons or transported military support to the militia, according to previous reports on arms embargo violations.
